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FRANKLIN  WELLES  C ALKI NS 


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LfSRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 


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TWO     WILDERNESS 
VOYAGERS 


FRANKLIN  WELLES  CALKINS 


"The  book  is  full  of  snap  and  go,  and  is  spiritedly  illustrated. 
*  *  *  The  author  has  evidently  written  of  territory  *  *  *  scenes 
thoroughly  familiar,  and  the  simple,  direct  style  of  the  narrative 
is  decidedly  pleasing.  The  adventures  are  well  worth  telling." 

— Newark  Evening  News. 

"  Bright  and  vigorous  sketches  of  life  and  adventure  on  the 
border  line  of  the  West.  *  *  *  The  stories  are  all  far  beyond  the 
average  short  tale  in  construction  and  strength." 

— Courier- Journal. 

"The  author  has  given  us  twenty-two  stories,  every  one  brim 
full  of  excitement,  adventure,  some  pathetic  and  several  humor- 
ous. *  *  *  Mr.  Calkins  has  preserved  the  true  spirit  of  adventure 
and  his  transplanted  to  the  publication  the  real  atmosphere  of  the 
rontier.  He  has  not  depended  on  fiction,  but  has  been  an  eye- 
witness to  many  of  the  incidents  narrated  in  the  stories." 

— Chicago  Journal, 

"  It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  interesting  and  unique 
collection  of  tales  of  the  American  frontier.  *  *  *  It  is  refreshing 
to  pick  up  a  book  that  seems  limited  by  its  covers  rather  than 
expanded  to  fit  them.  The  stories  are  all  short,  but  some  of 
them  contain  as  much  action  and  more  real  atmosphere  than  those 
other  authors  have  expanded  to  make  whole  books." 

— Chicago  Tribune. 

"Incidents  of  actual  adventure  are  even  more  interesting  than 
the  inventions  of  fiction,  and  the  writer  has  told  the  stories  with 
a  vigor,  directness  and  picturesqueness  that  has  preserved  the 
atmosphere  of  the  frontier."  — Watchword. 

I2mo,  Cloth,  ttlusiraied,  $1.50 


Published  fy 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

CHICAGO  NEW  YORK  TORONTO 


TWO   WILDERNESS 
VOYAGERS 


A    TRUE    TALE    OF    INDIAN     LIFE 


BY 


FRANKLIN  WELLES  CALKINS 

I — 


FLEMING      H.     REVELL      COMPANY 
CHICAGO,     NEW     YORK,     TORONTO 

M  CMII 


COPYRIGHT,  IQO2, 
BY  FLEMING  H. 
REVELL  COMPANY 

August 


TO 

MY   "LITTLE    SISTER" 

OF   THE   DAKOTAS 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  A  SPRING  AWAKENING     ....      9 

II.  THE  Sioux  SLAVES 19 

III.  AT  THE  SUGAR  CAMP       .        .        .        .26 

IV.  INTO  THE  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY          .        .41 
V.  THE  DANGER  OF  DELAYS         .        .        .48 

VI.  As  THE  RABBITS  HIDE    .        .        .        .61 

VII.  INTO  THE  TAMARACK  SWAMP    .        .        .     70 

VIII.  THE  .EAGLES  PROVIDE     .        .        .        -79 

IX.  THE  SPIRIT  WOODS         .        .        .        .90 

X.  ETAPA  COUNTS  A  COUP    ....     99 

XL  THEY  DANCE  TO  GRANDFATHER  INYAN    .  108 

XII.  FLIGHT 115 

XIII.  THE  LITTLE  NURSE        .        .        .        .131 

XIV.  GOING  TO  THE  ENEMY     ....  147 
XV.  IN  BLACK  OTTER'S  CAMP        .        .        .163 

XVI.  IN  THE  COUGAR'S  LAIR    .        .        .        .172 

XVII.  THE  CANOE  OF  THE  WASECUN  .        .        .   182 

XVIII.  AT  THE  BIG  RIVER         ....   192 

XIX.  THE  PONY  STEALERS       ....   197 

XX.  THE  GRIEF  OF  FIRE  CLOUD  AND  CRANE'S 

CRY 209 

XXI.  A  STRANGE  BUFFALO       ....  220 

XXII.  A  WARRIOR'S  DEATH      .        .        .        .228 

XXIII.  THE  BIG  YELLOW  RIVER         .        .        .241 

7 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIV.  THE  BOAT  WHICH  WAS  NOT  STRAIGHT 

TONGUE'S 248 

XXV.  A  LONG  TRAIL 256 

XXVI.  THE  VALLEY  OF  DESOLATION  .        .        .  267 

XXVII.   "SciLi!   SCILI!" 275 

XXVIII.  THE  BUFFALO  GHOST  WOMEN  .        .        .  292 
XXIX.  THE  BUFFALOES  —  A  VOYAGE  BY  BULL 

BOAT  .        .        .        ...        .  303 

XXX.  A  PARADE  FIGHT 319 

XXXI.  THE  VOYAGERS  ARRIVE  .        .        .        .330 
XXXII.  THE  WARRIOR  FATHER'S  APPEAL    .        .  353 


NOTE 

If  the  reader  will  kindly  take  note  of  the  few 
helps  offered  below,  the  Dakota  words  used  in  this 
story  may  be  pronounced  with  a  degree  of  confidence. 

No  vowels  are  silent,  a  =  a  as  in  father,  e  =  a  as 
in  mate,  i  =  e  as  in  me,  0  =  0  as  in  wrote,  u  =  u  as 
in  rule,  c  has  the  sound  of  ch,  as  in  march,  h  and 
g  are  gutturals,  s*  is  sh,  j  =  zh  and  n  is  nasal.  All 
other  consonants  are  sounded  practically  as  in  English. 
Zintkala,  for  instance,  is  pronounced  Zent  kah'  la,  and 
Etapa,  A  tah'  pa.  The  pronunciation  of  Ojibwa  words 
is  indicated  in  the  spelling. 

F.  W.  C. 


TWO    WILDERNESS 
VOYAGERS 


CHAPTER  I 
A  SPRING  AWAKENING 

The  crows  had  gathered  at  their  rookeries 
among  the  tall  pines  of  a  bluff  which  over- 
topped an  Ojibwa  village.  Snow  had  melted  off 
the  bark  roofs  of  the  wigwams  and  in  their 
front — if  they  may  be  said  to  have  had  a  front — 
lay  a  far  stretch  of  blue-green  ice  shimmering 
under  the  April  sun.  To  and  fro  above  this  ice- 
field the  solemn  harbingers  of  spring  flapped 
their  black  wings.  They  scanned  its  barren 
space  in  vain  search  for  open  water  and  the  float 
of  winter  killed  fish.  The  occasional  remon- 
strant Aal-aal-aal!  of  one  of  these  winging  spec- 
ters sounded  a  lean  and  melancholy  note  of 
hunger.  Now  and  then,  too,  within  their  range 
of  vision,  a  wolf,  bare  of  rib  and  thin  to  the 
semblance  of  a  shadow,  loped,  a  flitting  wraith, 
across  an  arm  of  the  lake.  Save  for  the  scream 
of  a  scolding  jay,  the  chirrup  of  a  surviving 
bunting,  or  the  chatter  of  a  red  squirrel,  the 
spaces  of  the  skeleton  woods  had  been  as  the 
aisles  of  the  dead. 

9 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

At  the  village,  after  moons  of  semi-hiberna- 
tion, the  warming  April  sun  stirred  the  people  to 
some  impulse  of  animation.  Muffled  figures 
shuffled  to  and  fro  between  the  lodges  and  their 
fishing-holes  in  the  ice.  Lean  wolf  dogs  skulked 
from  lodge  to  lodge  or  yapped  dismally  as  they 
were  kicked  away  from  hanging  about  the  doors. 
Upon  the  outskirts  a  bunch  of  skeleton  ponies 
rustled  in  the  snow,  hardy  pigmies  browsing 
upon  the  remains  of  last  year's  vegetation. 
Here,  too,  the  crows  came  and  perched  in  the 
tree-tops — safely  beyond  the  range  of  small  shot 
— expectant  of  the  annual  feasts  which  spring- 
poor  ponies  furnish. 

The  starving  moons  are  cruel  in  the  far  north 
lands.  The  manido  people  get  very  angry;  bad 
spirits  prevail.  At  times  Arctic  hurricanes  come 
sweeping  the  woods,  one  after  another,  and  the 
angry  wind-gods  cast  down  trees  in  such  dread- 
ful fashion  that  the  hunters  are  appalled  and 
the  moose  and  deer  are  driven  to  the  coulees  of 
the  highlands  for  shelter,  where  none  but  the 
wolves  dare  go  after  them.  And  so  a  half- 
starved  people  hail  the  swiftly  returning  sun 
with  sober  manifestations  of  joy.  Fearing  lest 
his  progress  may  be  obstructed  they  make  many 
prayers  and  smoke  offerings  to  Ki-tshe  Manido. 

At  Tall  Gun's  village  the  people  had  begun  to 
take  the  fish  which  will  not  stir  out  of  deep 
waters  until  the  sun's  rays  begin  to  glimmer 

10 


A       SPRING       AWAKENING 

through  the  ice.  Laboriously  the  women  had 
worked  for  several  days  chopping  channels 
beside  the  crevasses,  which  here  and  there  ran 
far  out  upon  the  lake.  Into  these  openings  the 
tribal  nets  had  been  lowered.  These  nets  the 
hungry  ones  visited  frequently.  Equable  divi- 
sion of  small  catches  had  several  times  been 
made  and  there  had  begun  to  be  heard  a  low  hum 
of  renewed  life  in  the  wigwams. 

During  three  starving  moons  no  fire  had  been 
built  in  the  long  lodge,  no  drum  had  been  beaten, 
no  gourd  rattled,  no  song  chanted.  But,  as  the 
sun  mounted  one  still  forenoon,  the  tinkle  of 
rivulets  of  water  was  heard,  pools  glittered  upon 
the  blue  ice-field,  and  suddenly  the  roll  of  the 
conjurer's  drum  throbbed,  the  sound  of  his 
rattle  clicked  upon  the  still  air  and  his  voice  was 
heard  chanting  in  a  strange  tongue.  The  people 
were  made  glad;  their  pulses  quickened  for  they 
knew  that  the  medicine  of  Ghost  Moccasin  and 
their  own  prayers  had  prevailed. 

Tum-te-tum-tum!  at  last  they  heard  him  beat- 
ing it — the  medicine  drum  of  Dzhe-bi-o-mok-ke- 
zin!  A  thrill  of  unexpressed  excitement  ran  all 
through  the  wigwams.  Low  it  began,  the 
music,  then  increased  to  a  muffled  roar  like  the 
drumming  of  a  partridge's  wings  in  foggy 
weather. 

The    conjurer    was    alone    in    his    lodge    and 

soon  his  voice  was  heard  in  strange  cries  calling 

11 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

upon  the  manidos;  and  when  the  medicine  rattle 
was  shaken  some  people  were  sure  that  spirits 
were  arriving.  Their  arrival  became  a  certainty 
when  the  noises  of  drum  and  rattle  were  drowned 
in  a  medley  of  appalling  sounds,  heard  nowhere 
outside  an  isolated  Indian  camp.  Thumpings 
and  groanings,  strange  thrilling  cries,  rumbling, 
thunderous  noises  as  if  Anemeke  himself  were 
speaking,  the  grumbling,  coughing  notes  of 
Makwa  the  bear,  lugubrious  hootings  of  Gu-ko- 
ko-o  the  owl — a  very  war  of  contending  manidos 
seemed  to  rage  inside  Ghost  Moccasin's  wig- 
wam. 

Surely  this  was  the  greatest  conjurer  of  the 
Awanse  tribes.  Very  old  men  could  not  remem- 
ber when  the  spirits  had  more  undeniably  mani- 
fested themselves.  Yet  there  were  those  among 
Tall  Gun's  wigwams  who  smiled  sourly  behind 
clouds  of  tobacco  smoke. 

Tall  Gun  sat  in  his  lodge  well  content  with  his 
faithful  conjurer's  performance.  The  head 
man's  stomach  was  filled  with  fish,  the  season  of 
plenty  was  at  hand,  and  there  was  a  comely  new 
wife  in  his  wigwam.  If  his  mind  held  a  taint  of 
suspicion  as  to  the  origin  of  the  superhuman 
thumpings,  groanings  and  frenzied  cries  which 
issued  from  Ghost  Moccasin's  lodge  it  was 
hidden  behind  the  mask  of  gravity  which  sat 
upon  his  face  while  he  blew  volumes  of  blue 
smoke  from  his  nostrils,  turning  the  stem  of  his 

12 


A       SPRING       AWAKENING 

casse  tete  a  calumet  to  all  points  of  the  compass 
and  reverently  skyward.  Suddenly  the  noises  of 
the  warring  spirits  ceased,  and  for  a  long  time  a 
kind  of  breathless  silence  reigned  in  the  village. 
Even  the  dogs  seemed  driven  to  somnolence  by 
this  weird  stillness  broken  only  now  and  then  by 
the  harsh  startling  cry  of  a  crow. 

Suddenly  out  of  the  sky  there  dropped  a  clear 
booming  call — ga-ungkl  ga-ungk!  glunk!  The 
spell  was  broken — the  answer  to  silent  prayer 
had  been  given.  The  people  rushed  eagerly 
outside  their  wigwams.  They  looked  up  at  aun- 
ah-quod  the  sky,  shading  their  eyes  with  their 
palms.  Gaa-ungk!  Deliberately  the  clear  call 
rang  down  out  of  the  blue  ether.  Quickly  one 
pointed  a  hand  and  the  blinking  eyes  saw  high — 
high  above  all  things — a  v-shaped  file  of  mov- 
ing birds,  the  advance  skirmish  line  of  mi-kah, 
the  wild  goose. 

While  they  were  yet  watching  delightedly 
their  conjurer  suddenly  appeared  among  them, 
and  his  assistant  began  violently  beating  a  drum. 
Ghost  Moccasin  himself  was  painted  and  arrayed 
in  his  most  gorgeous  and  effective  manner. 

He  began  a  chant,  pointing  skyward  as  he 
sang  of  the  wonders  Manabozho  had  wrought 
through  his  prayers  and  the  working  of  his  pow- 
erful medicine.  When  the  people  saw  that  the 
wings  of  his  new  head-dress,  stained  a  vivid 
green,  were  those  of  mi-kah,  the  wild  goose, 

13 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

they  looked  at  each  other  in  astonishment,  and 
when  presently  one  came  running  from  the  nets 
to  announce  a  great  catch  of  the  maskallonge, 
they  marveled  in  their  joy.  Truly  it  was  won- 
derful! 

That  afternoon  there  was  feasting  and  a  fire 
was  lighted  in  the  long  lodge.  The  people  gath- 
ered early  in  the  evening,  seating  themselves 
around  the  edges  of  the  big  wigwam,  where  they 
waited  in  decorous  silence  for  the  great  men  to 
appear.  Tall  Gun  came  first  and  seated  himself 
in  the  place  of  honor  upon  a  skin  reserved  for 
him.  As  many  great  men  do,  Ghost  Moccasin 
kept  his  audience  in  waiting  until  some  of  them 
yawned  in  sheer  impatience.  For  an  hour  or 
more  the  older  people  sat,  and  the  younger  stood 
in  a  packed  ellipse  about  the  outer  circuit  of  the 
smoothly  worn  ground  floor  of  their  primitive 
town-hall. 

Now  and  then  the  elder  men  turned  to  each 
other  with  some  low-voiced  remark,  but  even 
these  refrained  from  smoking.  The  younger 
ones  maintained  a  decorous  silence,  their  eyes 
only  shining  with  the  light  of  impatience  or  of 
expectancy. 

The  conjurer's  success  had  that  day  been  so 
manifested  that  he  thought  fit  to  announce  him- 
self by  a  crier.  His  approach  was  therefore 
solemnly  chanted  from  outside  the  lodge.  There 
were  old  men  and  some  younger  folk  whose 

14 


A      SPRING       AWAKENING 

eyes  twinkled,  but  they  looked  discreetly  down 
their  noses.  Ghost  Moccasin  came  in,  his  assist- 
ants bearing  the  sacred  drum  and  medicine  pouch. 
The  conjurer  had  arrayed  himself  fantastically 
and  carried  a  powerful  medicine  fetich  and  a 
wondrous  rattle. 

His  assistants  began  to  drum  and  the  medi- 
cine man,  seating  himself  before  a  bright  fire  of 
fagots,  began  a  series  of  public  incantations, 
smoking  to  all  the  manidos  and  mumbling 
strange  incoherences.  After  a  sufficient  length 
of  time,  during  which  the  younger  people  were 
in  a  great  state  of  suspension,  the  medicine  man 
began  an  intelligible  chant,  and  this  is  what  he 
sang: 

I  do  not  know  where  I  am  going. 

I  depend  upon  the  clear  sky. 

Ho,  you  sugar  maple,  fast  your  sap  is  flowing, 

O  my  friends,  I  thank  you, 

O  my  friends,  I  thank  you. 

The  first  two  measures  were  chanted  very 
slowly  with  impressive  hiatuses  and  amid  silence, 
but  the  last  lines  rolled  off  his  tongue  quickly 
and  were  responded  to  by  a  general  and  joyous 
hand-clap  that  was  like  the  scattered  volley  of  a 
skirmish  line. 

First  the  young  girls  came  forward  and 
danced.  To  the  barbaric  double  time  of  the 
tom-tom  and  the  rhythmic  jangle  of  its  bells 

15 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

these  moved  modestly,  their  elbows  at  a  slight 
curve,  their  moccasined  toes  turned  inward. 

Ho,  In-ne-na-tig!    E-shig-o-ma-e-oosh, 

Ho,  ni-ki-ni-ka-na,  migwetsh,  ni-ki-ni-ka-na. 

The  weird  cadences  of  their  chant  imported 
in  shrilling  tones  the  thrill  of  awakening 
nature,  the  joyous  prophecy  of  plenty,  of  content 
and  good  will  among  men. 

Louder  beat  the  tom-tom,  more  fiercely 
jangled  the  bells,  and  the  voice  of  Ghost  Mocca- 
sin, raised  in  crying  repetitive,  was  like  a  clarion 
call  to  action.  Young  men  took  the  place  of 
maidens  in  the  dance  and  the  action  grew  fast 
and  furious  until  the  timed  rhythm  of  those 
swaying,  leaping  figures  whirled  the  brains  of 
the  on-lookers  into  its  mad,  magnetic  current. 
Wild  cries  of  encouragement  were  shouted  by 
the  women  and  young  folk.  The  feet  of  the 
young  men  beat  upon  the  floor,  their  sweating, 
painted  bodies  writhed,  their  faces  grimaced  as 
they  rivalled  each  other  in  shouting  the  cadences 
of  the  chant. 

There  were  only  two  persons  who  were  not 
apparently  pleased  with  this  dance  and  these 
were  small  unnoted  people — a  boy  and  a  girl,  of 
near  a  dozen  years  each,  who  stood  behind  an 
ugly  woman,  crowded  between  the  inner  posts  of 
the  big  wigwam.  These  two  were  thinly  clad 

16 


A       SPRING       AWAKENING 

and  with  no  attempt  at  ornament  save  an  unsuc- 
cessful face  decoration. 

The  faces  of  these  were  indeed  flushed  but 
not  with  pleasure.  The  girl  had  disdainfully 
wiped  from  her  cheeks  the  red  earth  with  which 
'Lizbet,  Tall  Gun's  squaw,  had  stained  it.  Her 
blue  strouds  sleeve  carried  most  of  this  adorn- 
ment, but  some  faint  streaks  yet  remained  to 
accentuate  the  hot  blood  of  resentment  and  dis- 
gust which  showed  in  her  small  round  face.  She 
stood  erect  against  a  post,  her  hands  dangling,  a 
keenly  intelligent  and  scornful  little  critic  of  this 
Awanse  fete  dance. 

The  boy,  of  the  same  height,  stood  on  the 
other  hand  of  their  mistress,  who  was  no  other 
than  Tall  Gun's  old  wife  'Lizbet.  He  had  a 
shoulder  crowded  between  two  upright  stakes 
as  though  he  would  have  burst  through  the  thin 
partition.  This  one  looked  out  from  under  a 
mat  of  unkempt  hair  and  scowled  a  Sioux  scowl 
upon  the  whooping  moving  crowd. 

'Lizbet  Tall  Gun  was  of  an  excitable  nature. 
She  stood  partly  in  front  of  her  charges  and,  in 
her  eagerness  to  egg  on  the  dancers  to  some  new 
grimace  or  contortion,  the  hostile  faces  of  the 
boy  and  girl  went  unnoted. 

For  the  first  time  in  many  weeks,  so  close  had 
been  her  surveillance,  these  children  spoke 
together  in  their  own  tongue.  As  the  excited 
woman  crowded  forward  the  better  to  lose  no 

17 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

movement  of  the  dance,  the  girl  spoke  behind 
her  back,  taking  care  not  to  look  at  her  brother. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  said,  "younger  brother, 
let  us  soon  go  homeward." 

"The  arrows  of  the  Cree  fellows,"  returned 
the  boy,  scowling  more  deeply  under  his  mop  of 
hair,  "and  the  bow  of  my  grandfather  and  some 
buckskins  are  hidden  in  a  hollow-wood." 

"Waste,  mi  sun ! "  said  the  girl,  struggling 
to  hide  the  satisfaction  in  her  face.  "Waste!  I 
also  have  done  something.  Secretly  I  have 
hidden  the  awl  of  this  she  creature  and  two 
bundles  of  thread," 

"Good,"  muttered  the  boy,  "therefore  we  shall 
not  go  with  these  good-for-nothings  to  boil  the 
sweet  water  of  their  trees." 

He  was  about  to  speak  further,  but  some 
accent  of  his  despised  and  unknown  tongue 
reached  'Lizbet's  ear  and  she  turned,  giving 
the  girl  and  boy  each  a  fierce  slap  upon  the 
cheek,  shrieking  Ojibwa  maledictions. 

When  he  could  see  her  back  again  the  boy 
scowled  up  at  her  with  the  face  of  a  small  fury. 
A  young  meti  woman  at  his  right  hand  saw  the 
blow.  She  noted  the  look  upon  the  boy's  face 
and  she  shrieked  with  laughter,  but  the  kindly 
French  blood  in  her  veins  prevented  her  from 
exposing  him  further  to  the  old  wife's  fury. 

The  alien  boy  and  girl,  however,  had  said 
enough.  They  spoke  not  again  during  the  dance. 

18 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  SIOUX  SLAVES 

Mahpiya-peta,  or  Fire  Cloud,  was  a  war-chief 
of  the  Oglalas.  Prior  to  1860  he  fought  fre- 
quently in  wars  against  the  aggressive  whites, 
the  Ojibwas,  Pawnees,  and  Crows,  and  in  defence 
of  the  narrowing  frontiers  of  his  nation.  He 
was  a  soldier  of  renown  and,  being  a  person  of 
importance,  was  chosen  as  one  of  a  delegation  of 
Northwest  Indians  who  visited  the  Great  Father 
at  Washington. 

From  that  trip  he  returned  to  his  town  upon 
the  Smoky  River  a  changed  man. 

"I  will  no  longer  fight  the  white  people,"  he 
declared  to  his  soldiers.  "We  make  ourselves 
ridiculous.  We  must  become  as  they  are  or 
perish." 

In  the  following  spring  he  took  his  children, 
Zintkala-Zi  (Yellow  Bird)  and  Etapa  (The  Right 
Hand),  to  the  mission  school  at  Traverse  des 
Sioux  in  order  that  they  might  be  educated  to 
live  after  the  manner  of  the  conquerors. 

For  these,  he  said,  would  soon  despoil  his 
nation  and  pen  the  wretched  remnant  of  its 
tribes  upon  narrow  tracts  of  land  to  be  held  as 
prisoners  of  war — to  be  slaughtered,  if  they 

19 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

should  resist,  as  the  buffalo  are  slaughtered  in  a 
surround. 

How  much  his  heart  was  wrung  in  obedience 
to  his  judgment,  when  he  left  his  children  at  the 
mission,  no  one  can  tell.  His  Isanti  wife 
mourned  for  them  almost  as  she  would  have 
mourned  for  the  dead.  To  her  it  seemed  an 
incredible  and  cruel  thing  that  she  should  be 
asked  to  part  with  her  children,  little  more  than 
babies,  to  be  reared  and  taught  among  a  strange 
people — to  forget  their  own  kindred  and  per- 
haps their  own  tongue.  But  she  could  not  gain- 
say her  lord  and  master,  Fire  Cloud. 

The  children  were  not  less  rebellious  in  spirit 
than  their  mother.  They  were  cruelly  home- 
sick from  the  first.  The  little  girl  was  obedient 
to  her  teachers  for  some  weeks,  but  when  Etapa 
proved  intractable  to  discipline,  and  was  pun- 
ished for  running  away  to  play  with  the  children 
of  "blanket  Indians,"  she,  too,  grew  rebellious. 
At  the  end  of  four  months  it  became  evident  to 
the  better  judgment  at  the  mission  that  Fire 
Cloud's  young  belligerents  would  better  have 
stayed  among  the  Oglalas. 

One  night  in  September  the  boy  and  girl  took 
matters  into  their  own  hands,  seized  an  oppor- 
tune moment  and  fled,  intending  to  make  their 
way  across  to  the  Missouri  River,  where  their 
mother's  people  were  then  living.  Once  among 

these  they  felt  very  certain  their  father  would 

20 


THE         SIOUX         SLAVES 

send  for  them  when  their  wrongs  should  have 
been  recounted  to  him. 

So  fierce  was  their  home  hunger,  these  chil- 
dren trusted  themselves  to  the  boundless  prairies 
without  food  and  with  no  weapons  save  a  horn- 
tipped  bow  which  the  boy's  grandfather  had 
made  for  him  and  which  he  had  clung  to  with  a 
persistence  not  to  be  denied.  But,  though  he 
had  the  bow,  he  had  no  arrows  save  the  reeds  he 
was  able  to  pluck  from  the  creeks  and  sloughs. 

So  for  three  days  this  boy  of  ten  and  girl  of 
eleven  traveled  steadily  westward  subsisting 
upon  the  roots  of  the  teepsinna  which  they  dug 
with  half  a  clam  shell  and  ate  raw. 

They  had  reached  the  buffalo  country  when  a 
party  of  Assiniboin  hunters — men  and  women — 
swooped  upon  them  and  bore  them  northward 
as  captives.  The  Assiniboins  at  this  time  were 
nominally  at  peace  with  the  lower  Dakota 
tribes  and,  when  this  party  had  reached  a  trad- 
ing-post on  the  Red  River,  they  had  so  far 
repented  of  their  rashness  as  to  offer  their  cap- 
tives in  private  sale  to  some  Ojibwas  who  were 
on  a  trading  expedition. 

Thus,  for  two  dumpy  ponies  and  some  other 
property,  Tall  Gun,  of  a  village  in  the  far  eastern 
woods,  came  into  possession  of  the  Oglala  boy 
and  girl.  When  Tall  Gun's  party  had  trailed 
back  to  the  Red  Lake  country  the  chief  set  up 
another  wigwam  and  took  to  wife  the  comeliest 

21 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

maid  of  his  village.  In  propitiation  he  gave  to 
'Lizbet,  a  half-caste,  who  had  kept  him  in  monog- 
amous estate  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  the 
Sioux  captives,  that  she  might  with  honor  set  up 
a  household  of  her  own.  With  the  possession  of 
these  strong  children,  the  boy  already  an  efficient 
hunter  of  small  game  and  the  girl  able  to  do 
most  of  the  work  required  in  her  wigwam,  with 
a  husband  still  willing  to  provide  meat  and  skins 
from  the  hunting,  'Lizbet  was  very  well  content. 
Thereupon  the  wily  chief  congratulated  himself 
upon  the  opportune  stroke  whereby  he  had 
grasped  the  horn  of  a  dilemma.  Such  are  the 
odd  and  accidental  forces  which  go  to  the 
shaping  of  destinies  where  war  and  plunder 
obtain. 

Zintkala-Zi  and  Etapa,  after  the  first  poign- 
ant terrors  of  capture,  accepted  their  captivity 
as  became  the  children  of  warlike  people.  Had 
they  been  taken  into  a  wild  tribe  whose  ways 
of  life  were  similar  to  their  own,  or  had  they 
been  kindly  treated  by  adoption,  it  is  very  pos- 
sible they  might  never  have  attempted  to  escape 
and  would  in  time  have  lost  their  identity  as 
Dakotas. 

But  neither  of  these  things  happened  to  them. 
The  son  and  daughter  of  a  war-chief  of  the 
Oglalas,  whose  mother  was  daughter  of  a 
Yankton  chief,  had  been  children  of  some  dis- 
tinction among  their  own  folk.  They  were  now 

22 


THE         SIOUX         SLAVES 

slaves  to  a  woman  of  nondescript  people  whose 
every  mode  of  dress  and  of  life  they  detested. 

Their  mistress  was  a  virago.  She  was  not 
thoroughly  vicious  but  tyrannical,  which  was 
quite  as  galling  to  the  Sioux  children.  As  they 
were — from  policy — obedient  to  her  behests,  so 
far  as  they  understood  them,  it  was  some  time 
before  'Lizbet  laid  violent  hands  on  one  of  her 
chattels.  This  happened  when  she  discovered 
that  Zintkala-Zi  had  cunningly  concealed  a 
splendid  necklace  of  polished  elk  teeth  and  was 
unwilling  to  give  it  up. 

In  her  irksome  prison-pen  among  the  mission- 
aries little  Zintkala  had  been  reproved  for 
wearing  "heathen  ornaments"  and  so  she  had 
hidden  her  double  chain,  sewing  a  strand  inside 
either  of  a  pair  of  buckskin  leggins.  These  leg- 
gins  she  had  worn  when  captured  by  the  Hohe 
(Assiniboins).  Within  their  winter  folds  the 
valuable  ornaments  remained  hidden  until  the 
shrewd  eyes  of  'Lizbet  detected  their  outlines 
beneath  the  worn  buckskin.  The  strings  of  pol- 
ished ivories  were  promptly  ripped  from  their 
fastenings,  and  'Lizbet  took  possession  of  the 
child's  beloved  ornaments  with  a  scream  of 
delight.  Because  Zintkala  cried,  when  she 
hung  the  chains  about  her  skinny  neck,  'Lizbet 
beat  her  severely  with  switches.  After  this  the 
Sioux  children  never  compromised  with  her  for 
an  instant  in  their  hearts. 

23 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

At  first  some  Ojibwa  youths  made  an  attempt 
to  deprive  Etapa  of  his  bow,  which  they  said  was 
too  big  and  strong  for  so  small  a  boy.  They 
told  'Lizbet  that  the  lad  should  trade  it  for  one 
better  adapted  to  his  years.  But  shrewd  'Liz- 
bet,  making  him  understand  their  criticism,  pro- 
cured some  fairly  serviceable  arrows  and  sent 
Etapa  into  the  woods.  When  he  returned  with 
three  rabbits  and  a  grouse  the  bow  was  secured 
to  him. 

The  boy,  however,  unable  as  yet  to  converse 
in  Ojibwa,  did  not  understand  and,  when  boys — 
out  of  hearing  of  'Lizbet — still  urged  him  to 
trade  his  bow,  he  was  much  alarmed  lest  they 
should  take  it  from  him  by  force. 

Just  before  the  snow  came,  a  party  of  Crees, 
traveling  through  the  country,  camped  at  Tall 
Gun's  village  and  stayed  for  a  day  or  two  to 
gamble  and  to  "swap"  for  such  property  as  could 
be  traded.  On  the  day  after  their  departure 
Etapa's  bow  was  missing  and,  although  'Lizbet 
gave  him  a  severe  beating  for  carelessness,  it 
was  generally  believed  that  the  Crees  had  stolen 
the  weapon  because  of  its  superior  quality.  To 
appease  the  angry  old  wife  Tall  Gun  made  the 
boy  a  bow  of  dry  ash.  It  was  a  contemptible 
weapon  in  Etapa's  eyes  yet,  needing  food,  he 
made  effective  use  of  it  so  long  as  there  were 
birds  and  rabbits  to  be  shot. 

In  'Lizbet's  wigwam  the  Sioux  children,  who 

24 


THE         SIOUX         SLAVES 

were  recognized  as  her  property,  her  slaves  in 
fact,  graduated  in  a  stern  discipline.  She  con- 
tinually talked  to  them  in  Ojibwa.  After  some 
days,  when  she  had  taught  them  a  few  necessary 
words  and  had  established  a  sign  language  in  aid 
of  their  understanding,  she  never  again  allowed 
them  to  speak  to  each  other  in  their  own  tongue. 
A  word  in  the  Sioux  was  the  signal  for  a  blow 
with  a  dog  whip.  In  all  that  dismal  winter  they 
had  no  opportunity  to  speak  together  apart  from 
their  argus-eyed  mistress.  'Lizbet  kept  one 
of  them  beside  her  constantly.  She  never 
allowed  the  two  to  pass  outside  her  lodge 
together  and,  if  she  stepped  across  to  a  neigh- 
bor's wigwam,  she  took  Zintkala  with  her. 
How  bitterly  irksome  this  life  became  to  these 
children  of  the  plains  the  subsequent  chapters  of 
this  history  will  reveal. 


25 


CHAPTER    III 
AT  THE  SUGAR  CAMP 

On  the  morning  after  the  fete  dance  there  was 
confusion  indescribable  at  Tall  Gun's  village. 
The  weather  had  come  off  uncommonly  warm 
and  the  wigwams  were  turned  inside  out  in  a 
mad  scramble  to  make  hasty  exit  toward  a  sugar- 
camp. 

Their  skeleton  ponies  could  not  travel  in  the 
snow  nor  drag  travois  packs  over  the  ice;  so 
there  was  tying  and  untying,  packing  and  repack- 
ing of  blankets,  skins,  clothing,  kettles,  pans, 
cooking  utensils,  axes  and  fishing  tackle  to  meet 
the  limited  capacity  of  a  limited  number  of  dog 
sledges. 

Women  and  children  hustled  to  and  fro,  yell- 
ing themselves  hoarse,  while  men  seized  upon 
half-trained  wolf-dogs  and  fought  with  the  snarl- 
ing, vicious  brutes  to  get  them  into  harness. 
There  was  need  of  frantic  haste,  for  already 
there  was  much  water  upon  the  ice  and,  by  noon, 
or  a  little  later,  the  lake  would  be  impassable  for 
sledges  and  the  slush  snow  of  the  woods  equally 
so. 

Ho-ho-ho!  E-shig-o-ma-e-oosh!  Fast  the  sap 
is  flowing!  People  ran  hither  and  thither  in  a 

26 


AT        THE        SUGAR        CAMP 

frenzy  lest  they  should  overlook  some  necessary 
dish,  chipping  adz,  or  other  utensil.  As  fast  as 
a  family  had  its  dogs  or  its  women  loaded  with 
packs  the  members  set  out  at  a  dog  trot  upon 
the  sloppy  ice.  Every  rivulet  of  a  hundred  miles 
and  more  of  shore-line  was  pouring  its  flood  out 
upon  that  bottle-green  waste. 

So  they  ran,  slopping  in  shallow  pools,  with 
sweating  shoulders  and  icy  feet,  women  and 
papooses  chattering  and  screaming,  and  men 
belaboring  dogs  and  swearing  strange  French 
oaths.  When  one  slipped  and  fell,  getting  a 
shower-bath  from  the  splash,  shrieks  of  laughter 
greeted  the  mishap.  By  holding  to  the  ice- 
ridges  they  were  able  to  keep  their  feet  out  part 
of  the  time,  else  the  ice-water  would  have  proven 
intolerable  long  before  the  twelve-mile  stretch 
was  crossed. 

Numbers  of  crows  and  ravens  followed  this 
long  file  of  bipeds  and  four-foots  over  the  ice. 
Where  these  shouting  creatures  should  stop  the 
winged  caravans  knew  that  many  fish  would  be 
taken  and  out  of  a  wasteful  abundance  the 
empty  craw  could  be  filled.  So  the  funereal 
birds  flapped  alongside,  alighting  upon  the  ice- 
ridges  to  utter  hoarse,  anxious  notes,  stalking 
singly  or  in  solemn  files  just  far  enough  from  the 
movers  to  be  out  of  range  of  a  boy's  blunt-ended 
arrow. 

Of  all  the  scurrying,  human  crowd  only  two 

27 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

were  utterly  discontent.  These  were  the  young 
Dakotas.  During  the  rigors  of  an  Arctic  winter 
they  had  not  dared  to  attempt  escape,  for  they 
could  not  have  survived  a  march  in  the  awful  cold. 

But  now  that  spring  had  come  both  were  eager 
to  fly  and  they  had  only  awaited  an  opportune 
moment  to  seize  such  things  as  they  needed  and 
had  hidden.  By  secret  signs,  made  when  'Liz- 
bet's  back  was  turned,  they  had  agreed  that  some 
dark  night  when  the  "she  creature"  was  asleep, 
they  would  steal  from  her  wigwam  and  take  to 
the  woods.  Not  only  did  this  early  flight  across 
the  lake  carry  them  further  into  the  unknown 
country,  but  they  were  compelled  to  carry  bur- 
dens which  nearly  crushed  their  young  backs 
before  the  goal  was  reached.  'Lizbet  had  no 
dogs,  not  being  able  to  support  them,  and  so  she 
loaded  herself  and  her  slaves  with  such  effects  as 
Tall  Gun's  sledge  could  not  accommodate.  And 
she  forced  the  burdened  children  to  travel  in  her 
front,  shrieking  at  them  French  and  Ojibwa 
maledictions  or  threatening  the  dog  whip  when 
their  tired  legs  lagged.  The  impulse  to  fling 
down  their  hateful  packs  and  speed  with  swift 
feet  to  the  nearest  dark  line  of  woods  was  strong 
upon  them.  But  this  rash  prompting  was 
resisted  and  finally  the  dreadful  journey  came 
to  an  end. 

Atjiigh  noon  the  sledges  were  gathered  at  the 
north  rim  of  the  lake  where,  at  a  well-known 

28 


AT        THE        SUGAR        CAMP 

inlet,  fish  were  slaughtered  in  such  numbers  as 
justified  the  wisdom  of  the  attendant  crows. 
The  open  current  of  the  brook  had  tolled  the 
finny  ones  out  of  winter  quarters  until,  within  its 
narrow  channel,  they  were  crowding  upon  each 
other.  There  men  and  boys,  armed  with  all 
sorts  of  spears,  attacked  them  in  hilarious  excite- 
ment and  soon  the  snow  on  either  bank  was 
heaped  with  the  slain  and,  like  a  miniature  bat- 
tle ground,  stained  carmine.  This  carnage  con- 
tinued until  the  fish  were  run  out  of  the  open 
brook. 

The  Ojibwas  had  also  reached  the  country  of 
In-ne-na'-tig,  (the  sugar  maple).  Along  both 
banks  of  the  small  stream  were  many  groups  of 
the  tall,  shapely  trees.  Hundreds  of  trunks  bore 
rings  of  fissured  scars  where  the  tomahawk  or 
the  chipping  adz  had  tapped  them. 

At  some  distance  up  the  brook,  hidden  away 
amid  ranks  of  tall  maples,  stood  the  skeleton 
frame-work  of  a  huge  wigwam,  the  Ojibwa  sugar 
camp.  Its  poles  were  yet  partly  covered  with 
the  bark  of  last  year's  laying.  Many  hands 
make  light  work  and  by  night  the  ragged  roof 
and  sides  were  snugly  pieced  with  freshly  peeled 
birch-bark. 

This  camp,  after  the  manner  of  a  Huron  long 
house,  was  arranged  to  accommodate  a  large 
number  of  families,  only  in  this  instance  each 
familv  hung  up  blankets  or  skins  to  partition  off 

29 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

its  section.  This  was  done  not  so  much  for  the 
sake  of  privacy  as  to  mark  a  line  which  should 
divide  each  family's  household  goods  from  those 
of  its  neighbors. 

Notwithstanding  the  bustle  of  their  hurried 
dash  from  village  to  sugar-bush  the  Indians  dis- 
covered quickly  that  the  sap  was  not  flowing — 
that  Ghost  Moccasin  was  not  wholly  infallible. 
In  this  far  north  land  the  frost  sets  its  teeth  deep 
into  the  ground  and  many  days  of  warming  sun 
are  required  to  start  even  the  volatile  sap  of  the 
sugar  maple  flowing. 

But  there  was  much  to  do  in  the  days  of 
waiting.  Every  year  they  must  make  a  new 
set  of  birch-bark  sap-vessels  and  spouts, 
casseaux  or  troughs  for  catching  the  sap,  buck- 
ets for  carrying,  and  the  gauj^,  a  yoke  which 
was  borne  across  the  shoulder.  For,  with 
the  improvidence  of  nature's  children,  they 
took  no  care  of  these  things  but  left  them 
scattered  about,  where  they  were  used  last,  to 
be  burned  or  buried  in  snow  and  forest  debris. 
Upon  only  one  set  of  the  implements  of 
their  sugar-making  did  they  bestow  absolutely 
necessary  care.  They  kept  within  their  wigwams 
the  several  large  brass  kettles,  which  a  post 
trader  furnished  them  for  the  sake  of  the  trade 
they  brought  him.  These  kettles  were  relig- 
iously scoured,  polished  and  guarded  with  the 
care  bestowed  upon  sacred  articles. 

30 


AT        THE        SUGAR        CAMP 

Their  sugar-making  was  a  profitable  industry, 
and  annually  they  sold  many  mococks,  of  a  brick- 
like  consistency,  at  the  upper  Red  River  post — 
and  the  article  brought  them  three-point  blan- 
kets, red  strouds  and  trinkets  more  than  the 
skins  they  took.  And  besides,  in  the  season  of 
making,  there  was  the  delicious  diet  of  syrup 
and  sugar  of  which  they  ate  enormous  quantities. 

In  their  days  of  preparation  for  the  sap  catch- 
ing, of  tapping  trees,  whittling  gouttieres,  making 
and  setting  the  casseaux,  and  repairing  the  stone 
furnaces,  abundance  came  to  them  from  the 
south  seas.  Overhead  the  near  blue  sky  was 
flecked  with  clouds  of  geese,  brant  and  ducks, 
and,  stretches  of  open  water  having  appeared 
along  the  lake  shore,  the  birds  tumbled  into 
these  spaces  in  myriads. 

The  noise  of  their  wings,  their  flappings, 
splashings,  gabble  and  quacking,  the  murmur  of 
a  multitude,  sounded  far  through  the  still  woods. 

Among  the  bush  alongshore  the  hunters 
secreted  themselves  and  with  small  shot  secured 
an  overabundance  of  meat  and  feathers. 

During  a  slow  migration  of  weeks  these  birds, 
because  of  their  vast  numbers,  had  fed,  almost 
undisturbed,  upon  the  wheat  and  corn  fields  of 
the  lower  and  central  Mississippi  countries.  In 
these  early  years  of  western  settlement  we 
indeed  furnished  to  the  Indians,  in  fat  and  juicy 
migrators,  our  only  ungrudging  supplies. 

31 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

The  people  of  the  sugar  camp  took  on  flesh 
visibly  during  these  days  of  abundance.  The 
fat  goose  flesh  and  the  maple  syrup  and  sugar 
gave  their  brown  skins  a  healthy  glow  and  put 
spirit  and  sparkle  into  their  eyes.  A  new  and 
vigorous  life  possessed  them,  and  the  hum  of  it 
ran  as  a  pleasant  murmur  in  their  camp.  The 
sounds  of  the  drum,  of  weird  Ojibwa  chants  and 
French  roulades,  mingled  oddly  with  the  medley 
of  the  lake,  the  cawing  of  crows,  the  screams  of 
jays,  and  the  piping  of  blackbirds. 

During  the  morning  hours  women,  girls  and 
boys  were  busy  at  gathering  sap  and  again  in 
the  late  afternoon.  To  and  fro  they  shuffled  in 
and  out  among  the  tree  trunks,  each  carrying  the 
gaujt  with  a  birch-bark  bucket  at  either  end.  All 
day  and  all  night  the  kettles  boiled  merrily  with 
women  or  girls  taking  turns  in  constant  attend- 
ance. 

'Lizbet  Tall  Gun  was  in  her  glory.  She  had 
charge  of  the  great  brass  kettle  which  was  the 
head  man's  chief  possession  and  article  of  dis- 
tinction. And  she  had  his  young  wife,  a  niece, 
and  the  Sioux  boy  and  girl  to  do  her  bidding. 
She  was  thus  high  priestess  of  the  sugar-making 
and  she  made  a  large  show  of  authority.  She 
sat  upon  a  colored  mat,  smoking  and  giving  com- 
mands, though  she  arose  occasionally  to  exam- 
ine critically  the  bubbling  contents  of  the  kettle. 
Occasionally,  also,  when  it  appeared  that  the 

32 


AT        THE         SUGAR        CAMP 

syrup  was  too  low  or  too  high  or  that  there  was 
a  suspicion  of  burning  about  the  rim  of  the  kettle, 
she  snatched  the  hemlock  paddle  from  the  Sioux 
girl's  hand  to  bestow  a  sounding  thwack  upon 
her  shoulders. 

Zintkala-Zi  bore  this  with  impassive  face,  and 
went  about  her  task  as  before.  As  became  a 
daughter  of  the  Dakotas  she  accepted  the 
inevitable  without  a  show  of  emotion.  She  even 
laughed  at  times  when  something  amusing 
occurred;  and,  when  the  sap  was  not  running  and 
the  big  kettle  had  been  scoured,  she  played  with 
the  young  girls  of  the  camp  and  made  for  the  little 
ones  wooden  dolls  with  carved  heads,  dressing 
them  with  bits  of  bright  clothes  and  cast-off 
buckskins. 

In  all  this  demeanor  'Lizbet  read  submission 
and  the  growth  in  the  girl  of  an  Ojibwa  heart, 
fetapa,  too,  seemed  to  have  undergone  a  change. 
At  times  during  the  winter  he  had  been  sulky 
and  ill-mannered.  It  was  especially  difficult  to 
teach  him  the  Ojibwa  words.  In  six  months  he 
had  barely  learned  enough  of  the  tongue  to 
know  what  was  required  of  common  necessity. 
When  'Lizbet  was  not  at  hand  he  sometimes 
taunted  the  Ojibwa  boys  with  their  babbling 
tongue.  He  spoke  of  it  contemptuously  as  "bi- 
wab-ik-shik-wik!" — a  name  which  the  young 
mimic  had  invented. 

However,  at  the  sugar  camp,  in  the  midst  of 

33 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

excitement  and  of  plenty,  with  as  much  of  the 
sweet  as  he  chose  to  eat — for  no  one  was  stinted 
at  the  boilings — Etapa  seemed  to  have  shed  his 
surly  disposition.  He  brought  wood  for  the  fur- 
nace, carried  his  gaujd  with  cheerfulness,  and  took 
on  flesh  and  a  shining  skin. 

'Lizbet  was  much  pleased  at  the  apparent 
change.  She  had  conceived  a  secret  liking  for 
the  boy,  who  was  a  keen  hunter  and  quick  to  see 
things.  "See,"  she  said  to  her  husband,  who  daily 
honored  her  by  lighting  his  pipe  at  her  fire, 
"see,  how  it  is  with  my  children." 

Zintkala  had  gone  a  little  distance  after  wood 
and  Etapa  was  coming  along  a  path  bearing 
buckets  of  sap.  "They  are  now  of  our  people," 
boasted  'Lizbet  and  Tall  Gun  was  also  pleased. 
He  seated  himself  upon  'Lizbet's  mat  and  smoked 
contentedly  the  while  her  charges  came  and 
went.  He  had  noted  that  'Lizbet's  kettle  was 
continually  filled  to  the  boiling  point  and  that 
her  furnace  never  lacked  wood.  As  a  great  num- 
ber of  trees  had  been  tapped,  that  all  the  boilers 
might  use  as  much  sap  as  they  could  reduce,  he 
foresaw  that  'Lizbet  would  this  season  much  sur- 
pass her  former  tale  of  cakes  and  mococks. 
Thus  he  did  not  hesitate  to  express  tacit  approval 
by  sitting  a  decorous  length  of  time  at  her  fire. 

His  complacent  sitting  so  pleased  the  elder 
wife — who  saw  signs  of  jealousy  in  the  younger — 
that  one  afternoon  she  grew  quite  hilarious  and 

34 


AT        THE        SUGAR        CAMP 

excited  and  drank  a  great  deal  of  warm  syrup. 
She  also  made  a  delicious  wax  for  her  lord.  She 
was  thus  attending  the  kettle  herself  to  serve 
Tall  Gun,  and  her  boiling  ran  low. 

It  was  about  sunset,  after  the  sap-gathering 
time,  when  she  noted  her  remissness  and  to 
make  amends  she  called  the  young  wife  to  see 
after  the  kettle — and  incidentally  to  take  the 
blame  which  would  attach  to  burning  on — put  a 
gaujd  upon  her  shoulders  and,  with  Zintkala 
and  Etapa,  went  out  to  collect  sap  from  any  drip- 
pings which  might  remain. 

Thus  they  hurried,  going  on  parallel  lines  and 
within  sight  of  each  other,  from  trough  to 
trough. 

They  were  a  good  distance  from  camp  at 
dusk,  and  still  their  buckets  were  not  filled,  when 
'Lizbet  was  suddenly  taken  with  fearful  pains 
and  fell  upon  the  ground,  spilling  her  sap 
and  shrieking  in  agony.  She  rolled  upon  the 
earth,  writhing  to  and  fro  and  howling  like  a 
mad  thing. 

Awed  and  astonished,  the  Sioux  children 
stood  gazing  for  a  moment.  Some  evil  spirit 
had  seized  upon  this  woman.  Doubtless  it  was 
in  answer  to  the  prayers  they  had  offered  in 
secret.  They  were  quick  to  seize  upon  this 
probability.  For  many  days  they  had  been  pray- 
ing to  Waniyan  Tanka  to  help  them  to  escape. 

'Lizbet  was  plainly  hors  de  combat,  senseless, 

35 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

shrieking  with  pain.  Zintkala  was  first  to  act. 
She  ran  to  the  groveling  woman,  snatched  her 
long  knife  from  its  sheath  and,  seizing  the 
strings  of  elk  teeth  about  her  neck,  struggled 
with  the  frantic  creature  until  she  had  cut  away 
their  fastenings  and  secured  the  treasure. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  said,  in  great  excite- 
ment, "let  us  now  go  homeward!  Hither  let  us 
run  among  the  trees,  taking  the  canoe  with 
which  a  man  has  arrived." 

A  hunter,  who  had  returned  to  the  village  by 
way  of  the  woods,  had  that  day  paddled  a  birch- 
bark  vessel  across  the  lake.  It  was  the  first  thus 
far  to  be  brought  to  the  camp.  Etapa  looked  at 
'Lizbet,  whose  contortions  and  screams  did  not 
cease.  Very  evidently  an  evil  spirit  had  been 
sent  to  attack  her. 

"Ho,  Tanke,"  (older  sister),  said  the  boy,  "we 
shall  run  toward  these  people,  crying  that  some 
enemies  have  arrived.  We  shall  take  some 
parfleches  to  make  us  proper  clothing." 

Seeing  the  wisdom  of  this  very  young  warrior, 
his  sister  ran  with  him.  They  shouted:  "The 
enemy!  The  enemy!  Those  wicked  ones  have 
attacked  'Lizbet!" 

Keen  ears  at  the  sugar-making  had  heard 
'Lizbet's  screams,  and  presently,  catching  the 
purport  of  the  Sioux  children's  cries,  the  camp 
was  thrown  into  an  uproar.  Men,  old  and 
young,  seized  their  weapons  and,  supposing  that 

36 


AT        THE        SUGAR        CAMP 

a  bear  or  a  cougar  had  seized  upon  'Lizbet,  ran 
through  the  woods  to  her  succor.  Women  and 
girls,  not  deeming  it  prudent  to  go  into  the 
darkened  woods,  gathered  in  excited  groups 
upon  the  outskirts  of  the  camp. 

The  little  Sioux,  so  soon  as  they  heard  the 
footfalls  of  the  runners,  ceased  their  cries,  and, 
avoiding  the  Ojibwas  in  the  darkness,  passed 
around  them,  and  so  on  swiftly  to  the  rear  of 
their  camp.  Seeing  no  one  on  that  side  of  the 
big  wigwam,  they  dodged  in  at  an  opening  and 
seized  such  ^things  as  they  needed  or  could  lay 
their  hands  on  in  the  semi-darkness.  In  'Liz- 
bet's  and  Tall  Gun's  apartments  they  knew,  in 
particular,  where  the  household  goods  were 
stowed,  and  they  thus  secured  two  parfleches  of 
buckskins,  a  small  bag  containing  hanks  of 
thread,  bundles  of  sinews  and  other  needful 
things,  with  a  light  and  convenient  tomahawk 
which  belonged  to  the  young  wife  of  the  chief. 

They  had  no  difficulty  in  stealing  away  from 
the  camp  in  its  rear  for  all  was  hub-bub  and  con- 
fusion out  beyond  the  furnaces.  Their  first  diffi- 
culty was  encountered  upon  reaching  the  canoe 
which  had  been  drawn  out  upon  the  creek  bank. 
There  were  no  paddles  at  hand.  It  was  some 
minutes  before  they  found  a  single  broad-bladed 
one  concealed  among  some  bushes.  With  this 
Etapa  made  such  haste  as  he  could,  but  they 
were  not  out  of  the  creek  channel  when  they 

37 


heard  the  sharp  gasp  of  a  fleet-footed  runner  in 
pursuit. 

Frightened,  they  were  about  to  leap  from  the 
boat  when  the  man  broke  from  cover  near  at 
hand.  It  was  too  late  to  escape  by  running,  and 
Etapa  thrust  his  paddle  upon  the  bottom  and 
gave  the  boat  a  fierce  shove.  At  the  same  instant 
the  runner  leaped  at  them  from  the  bank.  Even 
as  he  jumped  the  light  craft  shot  away  from 
under  him,  and  the  man  sprawled  his  length  in 
the  shallow  brook. 

When  he  recovered  the  canoe  was  darting  out 
upon  the  waters  of  the  lake.  This  runner  had 
no  fire-arm,  but  he  yelled  frantic  directions 
to  those  who  were  chasing  in  his  rear  and,  a 
moment  later,  the  beach  alongshore  was  ablaze 
with  popping  guns. 

It  was  too  dark  for  rifle  shooting,  else  this 
story  could  never  have  been  told.  Bullets 
skipped  and  whizzed  about  the  receding  canoe 
and  small  shot  struck  it  and  the  occupants  repeat- 
edly. Undoubtedly,  when  they  had  discovered 
the  ruse  of  the  young  Sioux,  the  Ojibwas  imme- 
diately connected  their  flight  with  'Lizbet's  attack 
and  they  were  fierce  to  capture  or  slay  them. 

Though  feeling  the  sting  of  small  pellets  upon 
the  arm  and  shoulder,  Etapa  plied  the  paddle 
with  all  his  strength  and,  in  two  or  three  min- 
utes, the  canoe  had  slipped  out  into  the  darkness 
and  beyond  the  range  of  shots. 

38 


AT        THE        SUGAR        CAMP 

"Tankef,"  said  the  boy,  inquiringly,  "  those 
people  have  hit  me  with  some  shots." 

"I  also  am  struck  in  my  hand,"  said  Zintkala, 
simply.  "But,  younger  brother,  it  does  not  hurt 
greatly." 

"It  is  nothing,"  said  Etapa  and  in  their 
greater  anxiety  to  steer  their  course  aright  they 
did  not  again  mention  their  hurts.  Without  the 
bow  and  arrows,  which  Etapa  had  hidden  in  a 
wood  at  the  village,  they  could  not  hope  to 
make  the  long  journey  which  lay  between  them 
and  their  own  country. 

Therefore  the  canoe's  prow  was  turned  south- 
ward. The  night  was  clear  and,  as  all  Indian 
children  know  "The  Seven  Dizzy  People,"  who 
swing  nightly  around  the  pole  star — these  and 
their  native  instinct  for  direction  guided  the 
Sioux  children,  who  took  turns  in  plying  the 
paddle  and  who  worked  as  those  work  who  race 
with  death  upon  their  heels. 

They  knew  perfectly  that  two  lines  of  runners, 
one  upon  either  shore  of  the  lake,  would  be 
launched  after  them  to  take  up  their  trail  wher- 
ever they  should  come  to  land;  that  they  must 
fly — fly — fly  if  they  would  live. 

The  night  favored  them,  for  there  was  no  air 
stirring.  There  were  no  ripples  upon  the  lake 
save  those  made  by  the  water-fowl  which  rose 
flapping  and  squalling  in  their  front. 

The  one  who  was  not  paddling  sat  in  the  bow 

39 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

watching  for  the  ice-floes  which  endangered 
their  frail  craft.  Zintkala's  wound  bled  freely. 
A  swan-shot  had  passed  through  her  palm  and 
lodged  under  the  skin  upon  the  back  of  the  left 
hand.  She  trailed  the  hand  in  cold  water  until 
the  blood  ceased  to  flow  and  thereafter  the 
hurt  troubled  her  little. 

Two  hours  of  swift  paddling  brought  them 
under  a  bluff  behind  the  Ojibwa  village.  By 
no  possibility  could  runners  coming  around  the 
lake  reach  this  point  before  morning.  The 
young  Sioux  had  often  heard  the  Ojibwas  say  it 
was  a  long  day's  run  by  the  shore  and  one  way 
they  could  not  come  at  all  without  boats  because 
of  a  wide  neck  of  water  which  connected  with  a 
very  long  lake. 

So  Zintkala  and  Etapa  were  very  cautious  in 
approaching  the  village.  An  old  man,  his  wife 
and  their  lame  son,  had  been  left  to  guard  the 
wigwams.  While  the  children  were  not  afraid 
of  being  caught  by  these,  the  family  might  yet 
be  on  the  alert  and  so  prevent  them  from  secur- 
ing the  necessary  bow  and  arrows. 

However,  they  had  no  difficulty  at  all.  The 
wigwams  were  silent  and  fireless  when  they 
arrived.  Etapa  recovered  his  bow  and  the 
arrows  which  he  had  cunningly  stolen  from  the 
Crees,  and  Zintkala,  from  behind  a  certain 
piece  of  bark  in  the  roof  of  'Lizbet's  lodge,  took 
the  awl,  thread  and  small  articles  she  had  hidden. 

40 


CHAPTER  IV 
INTO  THE  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY 

When  they  returned  to  the  canoe  Etapa  and 
Zintkala  bore  each  a  light  strong  paddle,  much 
easier  to  handle  than  the  heavy  one  they  had 
used  and  had  needed  to  use  alternately.  Their 
progress  was  now  rapid.  They  sped  faster  than 
anyone  could  have  made  his  way  through  the 
woods  and  tamarack  swamps  alongshore.  They 
were  elated.  The  night,  the  long  lake  and  the 
wilderness  were  before  them  and  when  they 
were  far  beyond  ear-shot  of  the  village  they 
talked  freely  and  excitedly  of  their  recent  expe- 
riences. Etapa  counted  the  little  "mosquito 
bites"  where  the  small  shot  had  hit  him  and 
found  that  ten  or  more  of  them  had  gone 
through  his  skin  in  various  places.  He  felt 
proud  of  these  wounds  and  thought  that  he 
should  be  able  to  show  the  scars  when  he 
had  arrived  at  home. 

And  he  would  not  have  been  a  genuine  little 
Sioux  had  he  not  boasted  greatly  of  how  he  had 
darted  the  canoe  out  from  under  the  leaper  who 
sought  to  jump  down  upon  them  from  the  creek 
bank,  and  also  of  his  exploit  in  stealing  a  quiver 
of  arrows  from  the  Crees — he  had  seven,  finely 
toothed  and  feathered,  and  of  superior  wood — 

41 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

and  of  his  adroitness  in  hiding  his  bow  so  that 
the  Ojibwas  had  believed  the  Crees  had 
stolen  it. 

And  Zintkala,  riding  upon  the  smooth  water, 
listened,  well  pleased  with  the  sound  of  her  own 
tongue  again.  So  they  paddled  on,  keeping  The 
Dizzy  People  upon  their  right  and,  most  of  the 
time,  a  faintly  outlined  shoreline  upon  the  other 
hand. 

They  were  not  alone — far  from  it.  On  every 
hand  were  the  puddling,  quacking,  squalling 
water-fowl.  These  rose  at  times  in  such  num- 
bers that  the  noise  of  their  wings  was  as  the 
voice  of  Wakinyan  the  thunder  god.  There 
were  many  flashes  of  white  wings  sailing  by  and 
strange  voices,  which  startled  them,  came  out  of 
the  night. 

The  steady  dip-dip  of  the  light  paddles  did 
not  cease  for  an  instant  and  after  a  time  the 
land  shadows  disappeared  upon  their  left  and 
appeared  upon  their  right.  By  this  token  they 
knew  that  they  were  entering  the  channel 
between  the  two  lakes,  and  so  turned  their 
course  southward.  When  they  had  left  the 
headland  they  did  not  see  the  shoreline  again 
and  they  had  paddled  until  their  arms  were  very 
weary  when  a  fog  began  to  rise  upon  the  lake. 
Soon  this  mist  became  so  dense  that  the  stars 
were  obscured,  and  the  little  voyagers  were 
literally  at  sea  as  to  direction. 

42 


INTO  THE  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY 

They  paddled  about  for  a  time  much  puzzled 
and  distressed.  This  fog  might  well  mean  death 
to  them,  for,  unless  the  lake  were  very  long 
indeed,  the  Ojibwa  runners  might  come  within 
sight  of  them  when  the  mist  should  lift  with  the 
rising  sun.  Soon  the  folly  of  continued  paddling 
became  apparent — for  they  might  even  be  going 
back  into  the  teeth  of  the  enemy.  Therefore 
they  remained  silent  in  the  midst  of  silence,  for 
the  water-fowl  seemed  to  have  gone  asleep;  only 
now  and  then  a  pair  of  wings  flapped  or  a  faint, 
contented  chuckle  sounded  within  their  hearing. 
Soon,  in  spite  of  anxiety,  sleep  overcame  the 
little  voyagers  and  with  blankets  closely  wrapped 
they  lay  upon  the  canoe's  bottom. 

When  they  awoke  the  sun  had  begun  to 
glimmer  from  a  height  into  the  low  mist  which 
lay  upon  the  lake.  Instantly  they  seized  their 
paddles  and  steered  their  canoe  southward. 

As  the  sun  rose  higher  a  light  fog  still  hung 
over  the  lake  and  overhead  the  sky  was  hazy 
also.  This  made  the  hearts  of  the  paddlers 
glad,  for  they  knew  the  atmosphere  would  not 
clear  until  a  breeze  came.  There  would  be 
opportunity  to  land  their  canoe  without  danger 
of  observation  if  they  should  arrive  at  the  shore- 
line within  a  reasonable  time.  Though  their 
canoe  could  still  be  seen  at  a  long  bow-shot's  dis- 
tance, the  chance  that  an  Ojibwa  should  be  with- 
in sight  was  too  small  to  give  them  uneasiness. 

43 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

The  rise  of  water-fowl  in  its  front  as  the  canoe 
advanced  would,  in  clear  weather,  have  marked 
its  progress  for  many  miles  to  keen  eyes  on  the 
lookout.  At  a  little  distance,  however,  the  mists 
swallowed  all  these  hurtling  crowds  of  birds. 

After  paddling  for  some  length  of  time  the 
voyagers  were  alarmed  by  hearing  a  medley  of 
strange  noises  in  their  front.  Shrill  outcries, 
whoops  of  wild  laughter,  screams,  groans  and 
gruntings,  came  to  their  ears  out  of  the  fog. 

At  first  the  children  were  much  alarmed, 
fancying  that  they  heard  a  multitude  of  the 
strange  manidos  of  the  Ojibwas.  They  ceased 
paddling  and  were  in  doubt  as  to  what  course 
they  should  pursue.  They  were  thus  hesitating 
in  silence,  fearing  to  converse  together,  when  a 
bevy  of  big  white-winged  birds  appeared,  skim- 
ming low  over  the  water.  These  screamed  and 
laughed  in  a  manner  which  left  no  doubt  as  to 
the  origin  of  the  alarming  noises.  Whole  tribes 
of  these  strange  whoopers,  white,  gray  and 
black,  now  came  yelling  through  the  fog.  Some 
of  these  birds  alighted  upon  the  water,  cocked 
great  red  and  yellow  eyes  at  the  canoers  and 
then  rose  and  flew  away  with  odd  cries  and  yells 
of  shrill,  mocking  laughter.  • 

All  this  was  most  astonishing  to  the  Sioux 
children  to  whom  these  noisy  Arctic  birds,  their 
sudden  appearance  and  disappearance,  their 
transient  gavaeian  medley — annual  events  in  the 

44 


INTO  THE  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY 

north  lake  country — were  wholly  unknown.  In 
the  unknown  there  is  always  mystery  to  the  In- 
dian, and  the  boy  and  girl  looked  at  each  other, 
and  spoke  in  low  tones,  in  much  amazement. 

They  resumed  their  paddling  and  held  their 
direction  mechanically  while  their  eyes  were  for 
the  ibirds.  Presently  they  began  to  encounter 
ice-floes,  and  upon  these  melting,  spongy  masses 
the  strange  birds  were  gathered  in  great  num- 
bers and  their  antics  gave  fresh  cause  for  won- 
der. They  certainly  acted  strangely.  Some 
fluttered  their  wings,  holding  them  grotesquely 
aloft  as  buzzards  do,  while  their  huge  bills 
gaped  threateningly;  others  seemed  to  be  exe- 
cuting a  dance,  crooking  their  necks  and  hopping 
from  one  foot  to  the  other,  while  others  strutted 
with  a  great  show  of  fierceness;  and  each 
seemed  to  vie  with  another  in  screeching,  laugh- 
ing, scolding  or  grunting,  until  the  ears  were 
pierced  with  their  outcries.  Barring  the  fact 
that  they  wot  not  of  the  comparison  the  onlook- 
ers might  have  fancied  themselves  sitting  in 
a  gallery  of  the  Inferno. 

"Do  look,  younger  brother!"  Zintkala 
exclaimed,  presently.  "On  this  one  side  the 
people  are  really  dancing  the  buffalo  dance." 

Etapa  turned  his  face,  as  directed,  toward  an 
ice-field  upon  his  left  and,  near  at  hand,  a  group 
of  birds  were  certainly  prancing,  hopping,  jump- 
ing and  posing  their  wings  and  bodies  in  such 

45 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

impossible  attitudes  as  suggested  a  violent  dance 
of  the  Dakotas.  The  birds  were  very  probably 
quarreling  over  the  carcass  of  a  fish  which  each 
wished  the  privilege  of  pecking  out  of  the  ice  for 
its  individual  benefit. 

"Older  sister,"  said  Etapa,  with  conviction, 
"these  people  will  surely  go  to  war.  It  is  the 
buffalo  scalp  dance." 

The  children  spoke  naturally  of  these  birds  as 
"people."  All  animals,  to  the  Indian,  in  his 
native  state,  are  a  mysterious  folk.  Some  are 
sent  by  the  Great  Spirit  to  furnish  food  and 
clothing,  others  to  harass  and  annoy  and  per- 
haps to  cast  an  evil  spell,  and  yet  others  to  fur- 
nish warning  and  instruction. 

"It  may  be,  brother,"  ventured  Zintkala,  "that 
Wakinyan  has  sent  these  strange  warriors  to 
protect  us  from  the  enemy." 

"Ho,  Tanke!"  cried  Etapa,  "I  think  that  is  so." 

At  any  rate,  they  declared,  it  was  evident  that 
these  scolding  birds  were  debating  what  should 
be  done  to  some  very  bad  people,  and  there 
could  be  none  worse  than  the  Rara-ton-wan 
(Ojibwa). 

Thus,  seeing  the  birds  apparently  well  disposed 
toward  themselves,  they  took  comfort  from  their 
mysterious  conduct,  supposing  it  might  mean 
confusion  to  their  enemies.  Therefore  Etapa 
addressed  the  terns  and  laughing  gulls  as  follows: 

"Ho,  you  birds,  you  strange  ones, you  are  very 

46 


INTO  THE  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY 

mysterious.  Anyone  can  see  that  you  have  a 
great  medicine.  Therefore  we  desire  greatly 
that  you  shall  help  us,  so  that  you  shall  all  shout 
very  mysteriously  at  the  enemy.  If  you  will  do 
so  for  us  he  shall  not  find  our  trail." 

When  a  whooping  outcry  arose  among  some 
gulls,  at  the  close  of  this  speech,  the  children 
were  quite  certain  these  birds  had  understood 
and  would  try  to  help  them. 

Thus,  with  hearts  comforted,  the  little  voyagers 
paddled  on  amid  a  whooping  tumult  until  sud- 
denly there  loomed  in  the  fog  a  line  of  skeleton 
tree-tops  and  shore  was  near  at  hand.  They 
hastened  joyfully  to  land,  for  they  were  getting 
woefully  hungry,  and  must  travel,  hiding  their 
trail,  a  good  distance  in  the  woods  before  they 
would  dare  to  stop  and  build  a  fire. 

The  shore  they  now  approached  was  gorged 
with  ice,  a  high  north  wind  having  driven  the 
ice-fields  upon  it,  piling  huge  white  masses  on 
the  beach  and  hoisting  fresh  walls  of  sand  and 
gravel. 

Very  cunningly  the  voyagers  came  to  land 
amid  this  debris.  They  left  the  canoe  overturned 
at  the  edge  of  a  gorge,  that  it  might  drift  with 
wind  and  wave,  and  scrambled  over  the  honey- 
combed masses  until  they  could  pass  to  hard 
ground  upon  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree.  Then, 
bearing  their  small  bundles,  they  launched  them- 
selves into  the  wilderness  of  woods. 

47 


CHAPTER   V 
THE  DANGER  OF  DELAYS 

Through  alternate  growths  of  hard  woods  and 
pines  the  little  voyagers  passed  on  until  they 
walked  unsteadily  from  fatigue.  As  much  as 
possible  they  kept  to  the  hard  ridges  and  stony 
ground,  avoiding  spots  where  moldy  vegetation 
or  moist  earth  might  leave  a  trace  of  footprints. 

They  had  no  set  plan  other  than  to  travel 
southward  with  all  the  speed  possible,  for  in  that 
direction  lay  the  Minnesota  River  and  a  narrow- 
ing strip  of  territory  still  occupied  by  Dakotas. 
They  knew  nothing  of  the  country  which  lay 
before  them,  for  the  Assiniboins  had  carried 
them  over  the  prairie  regions  far  to  westward, 
and  the  Ojibwa  had  brought  them  eastward  over 
a  country  partly  wooded. 

Despite  hunger  and  weariness  they  felt  a 
mounting  sense  of  freedom  with  each  step  which 
carried  them  further  from  a  hated  drudgery 
among  a  despised  people.  They  did  not  feel 
that  they  were  alone  for  squirrels  barked  and 
birds  chirruped  among  the  trees.  Now  and 
then  a  startled  deer  stood  at  graze  for  an 
instant  and  then  sailed  gracefully  away  among 
the  tree  trunks.  Overhead,  too,  a  myriad  folk 
called  down  to  them  out  of  the  hazy  sky  and 

48 


THE      DANGER     OF     DELAYS 

there  was  a  cheery  whistle  of  wings  above  the 
tree-tops  as  flights  of  small  ducks  passed  from 
one  wild  rice  lake  to  another. 

After  a  time  they  neared  one  of  these  marsh 
lakes  where  there  was  a  deafening  uproar  of 
water-fowl  tumbling  in  and  out  of  the  reedy 
swamp. 

"Younger  brother,"  said  Zintkala,  "I  think 
you  must  now  kill  some  birds.  I  faint  with 
hunger." 

"Stay  here,  sister;  I  will  do  so,"  answered  the 
boy.  He  dropped  all  burdens  but  his  bow;  then, 
breaking  some  straight,  hollow  reeds  from  the 
edge  of  a  bayou  near  at  hand  and  selecting 
some  pebbles  from  the  lakeshore,  he  sat  down 
and  with  the  aid  of  some  pieces  of  pack-thread 
manufactured  several  arrows.  This  he  did  by 
fitting  small  stones  into  the  split  ends  of  his 
reeds. 

These  were  primitive  weapons,  yet  the  lad 
passed  around  among  the  bushes,  approached 
the  lakeshore  near  to  where  flocks  were  feed- 
ing, and  easily  killed  a  couple  of  fat  ducks. 

Zintkala  had,  in  their  raid  upon  the  sugar- 
camp,  secured  'Lizbet's  small  hoard  of  matches 
as  well  as  flint  and  steel  and  she  had  a  small  fire 
going  when  Etapa  returned. 

Although  desperately  hungry  Etapa  was  the 
warrior  in  miniature.  He  allowed  Zintkala  to 
dress  the  ducks  and  roast  them  the  while  he 

49 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

whittled  at  a  bit  of  hardwood,  with  tiny  trans- 
verse holes,  fitting  one  hollow  with  a  reed  stem 
that  he  might  have  a  pipe  wherewith  to  smoke 
to  the  earth,  the  sky  and  thunder  spirits.  He 
had  no  tobacco,  but  pulverized  willow  bark 
makes  a  sweet  smoke  and  is  thus  a  proper 
incense  offering. 

By  the  time  his  pipe  was  finished  the  ducks, 
spitted  upon  two  sticks,  were  roasted  and  the 
children  attacked  them  smoking  hot.  Ah,  how 
good  to  bury  the  teeth  in  that  sweet  meat! 
They  ate  ravenously,  panting  with  enjoyment, 
until  every  bone  was  clean  picked. 

"Younger  brother,  you  should  have  killed 
another,"  said  Zintkala. 

Etapa  looked  at  the  scattered  bones  regret- 
fully. 

Just  then  a  squirrel  barked  near  at  hand. 
"See,  brother,  shoot  —  shoot!"  said  Zintkala, 
pointing  her  finger  to  a  tree  beyond  him. 

Etapa  turned  about  and  saw  a  large  gray 
squirrel  upon  a  limb  near  to  the  ground.  The 
saucy  creature  was  barking  at  five  or  six  steps' 
distance.  The  boy  cautiously  took  up  his  bow 
and  a  reed  arrow  and,  a  few  minutes  later,  bunny 
was  spitted  over  a  bed  of  embers. 

While  the  squirrel  was  cooking,  the  brother 
and  sister  took  account  of  their  bundles  of 
effects.  Each  had  come  off  with  a  gray  blanket 
and  a  parfleche  (whole-skin  sack)  of  buckskin. 

50 


THE     DANGER      OF     DELAYS 

Etapa  besides  had  secured,  with  the  tomahawk, 
a  roll  of  pieces  of  buckskin,  tanned  moose  hide, 
bundles  of  sinews  and  of  pack  thread.  Zint- 
kala  had  retained  'Lizbet's  long  knife  and  had 
seized  upon  various  small  and  useful  articles  in 
her  apartment  at  the  sugar-camp — a  bag  of 
work  threads,  odds  and  ends  and  ornamental 
bits,  a  hank  of  buckskin  strings,  and,  best  of  all, 
a  small  metal  basin  in  which  she  would  be  able 
to  cook  meat  and  roots  when  they  should  really 
make  a  camp. 

When  they  had  finished  the  squirrel  they  were 
very  tired  and  sleepy.  They  reclined  upon  their 
blankets  intending  to  rest  a  brief  time  longer. 
Sleep  seized  upon  them  in  a  twinkling  and  the 
sun  had  passed  the  zenith  before  either  pair  of 
eyes  had  opened. 

They  were  rather  cross  when  they  awoke  and 
each  was  inclined  to  find  fault  with  the  other  for 
remissness.  But  they  packed  their  small  bun- 
dles quickly  and,  strapping  them  to  their  shoul- 
ders, hurried  away  from  a  camp  which  hunger 
and  fatigue  had  certainly  made  an  imprudent 
one. 

The  unknown  lake  stretched  for  an  unknown 
distance  upon  their  left  and  they  were  thus  com- 
pelled, much  against  their  will,  to  turn  to  the 
east.  They  avoided  the  lakeshore  and  kept  to 
the  woods. 

They   had    walked    a    considerable    distance 

51 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

when  they  came  upon  a  fresh  difficulty — a  black 
and  barren  tract,  recently  desolated  by  a  forest 
fire,  lay  before  them.  Across  this  they  must  go 
or  turn  back  and  attempt  going  around  the  lake 
to  westward.  Thus  there  was  but  a  choice  of 
evils  and  the  little  voyagers,  after  sage  counsel- 
ling together,  elected  to  go  ahead. 

They  could  not  fail  to  leave  tracks  upon  the 
dust  of  the  burned  ground,  but  they  took  what 
precaution  they  might  to  alleviate  the  danger  of 
being  seen  by  some  trailer  or  stray  hunter  while 
they  were  crossing.  Etapa  climbed  a  tree  upon 
the  edge  of  the  tract  and  scanned  the  reaches  of 
the  burned  district  closely.  Seeing  nothing  to 
alarm  he  descended  and  the  two  made  up  their 
bundles  and  wrapped  their  blankets  in  a  pecul- 
iar way  about  their  bodies.  Then,  stooping 
until  their  heads  were  low  to  the  ground,  half 
walking,  half  crawling,  they  went  one  behind  the 
other,  imitating  the  movements  of  mato-sapa, 
the  black  bear. 

By  this  means  they  hoped  to  escape  the  dan- 
gers of  a  chase  should  any  hunter  come  within 
sight.  For  at  this  season  the  black  bear  was 
little  but  skin  and  bone  and  ill-temper  and  the 
Indian  hunter  usually  avoided  the  animal. 
There  was  no  one  there  to  judge  of  their  imita- 
tive performance,  yet  it  may  be  set  down  as 
certain  that  the  average  hunter,  seeing  at  a  dis- 
tance those  dark  gray  figures  ambling  among  the 

52 


THE.  DANGER     OF     DELAYS 

blackened  stumps,  would  have  adjudged  them 
bears  and  would  have  passed  on  to  the  chase 
of  more  desirable  game. 

A  half  hour  of  this  kind  of  going  proved  a 
wearisome  business  and  the  little  Sioux  were 
overjoyed  when  they  had  again  safely  reached 
the  shelter  of  woods  and  bush,  where  they  could 
straighten  the  kinks  out  of  their  backs. 

They  were  yet  for  a  time  forced  to  travel  east- 
ward by  the  trend  of  the  lakeshore.  They  did 
not  know  it,  but  they  were  now  entering  a  region 
famous  for  its  wild  rice  lakes,  and  never  in  one 
day  had  they  seen  so  many  water-fowl.  Great 
flights  were  passing  to  and  fro  overhead  and  the 
murmur  and  spatter  of  them  came  up  from  the 
lake  in  continuous  accompaniment  to  their 
walk.  Now  and  then,  in  response  to  some  sud- 
den alarm  or  impulse,  clouds  of  birds  would  rise 
from  the  water  with  a  roar  of  wings  which  was 
simply  astonishing. 

"Hoye,  Tanke!"  Etapa  would  shout,  forgetting 
caution  in  this  tremendous  din.  "Magaksikca 
ota-ota!"  (Hey,  older  sister,  ducks  are  wonder- 
fully plenty!) 

An  hour  or  two  before  sunset  the  children 
reached  a  southward  trend  of  the  lake  and,  com- 
ing upon  a  low  ridge,  saw  before  them  another 
burned  tract  which  had  been  swept  bare  of  trees. 
But  this  district  had  been  desolated  some  years 
previous  and  was  grown  to  young  jack  pines 

53 


and  other  bush  to  an  average  height  above  the 
voyagers'  heads. 

They  betook  themselves  to  the  bush  joyously. 
It  was  exactly  such  covert  as  they  would  have 
chosen  until  assured  of  safety  from  pursuit. 
Within  this  copse  they  felt  the  security  of  rab- 
bits in  a  warren  of  hazel  bush. 

Toward  sunset  they  came  upon  an  open  grass 
plat  where  the  last  year's  dry  "fog"  lay  thick 
upon  the  ground  and  a  small  clear  brook  ran 
through  the  midst.  Here  they  were  tempted  to 
rest  and,  having  carefully  examined  the  thickets 
near  by  until  they  had  found  dry  and  charred 
wood  which  would  make  little  or  no  smoke,  they 
determined  to  camp  for  the  night.  It  truly 
seemed  that  no  one  could  find  them  in  this  bush 
land. 

Yet  they  were  soon  startled  by  a  crashing 
among  the  small  pines  and  were  about  to  scud 
away  when  they  distinguished  the  footfalls  of 
some  large  animal  and,  squatting  upon  the  grass, 
awaited  its  appearance  with  anxiety.  The 
creature  came  toward  them  and  broke  from 
cover  at  a  little  distance.  It  was  a  huge  and 
hornless  bull  moose,  which,  catching  sight  of 
strange  creatures  upon  the  grass,  stood  at  gaze 
with  its  ungainly  muzzle  reared,  and  half- 
grunted,  half-snorted,  mingling  fear  with  threat. 

Zintkala  feared  the  big  animal  was  about  to 
attack,  and  counselled  flight  in  alarmed  panto- 

54 


THE      DANGER      OF      DELAYS 

mime,  but  Etapa  stood  up  boldly  and  addressed 
the  moose. 

"I  know  you,  bull  moose,"  he  said.  "You  are  a 
good  fighter,  but  you  have  no  horns  and  I  do  not 
fear  you.  With  my  knife,  should  you  attack,  I 
could  cut  your  skin  in  small  pieces.  We  are  not 
at  war  at  this  season,  O  bull  moose!  Your  flesh 
is  poor  and  you  have  no  back  fat,  therefore  let 
us  make  a  peace.  I  will  cut  some  willow  bark 
and  you  shall  smoke  with  me." 

But  the  moose  did  not  stay  to  smoke.  He 
stood  throughout  the  harangue  gazing  in  con- 
tinued astonishment,  then,  having  concluded  that 
there  was  nothing  to  fear  or  to  further  interest  in 
these  small  bipeds,  he  moved  indifferently  away. 

"Older  sister,"  said  Etapa,  "we  shall  not  build 
a  fire  until  after  Wi  (the  sun)  is  hidden,  there- 
fore make  yourself  to  rest.  I  will  make  some 
arrows  and  kill  geese." 

So  the  sister  lay  at  ease  upon  a  luxurious  bed 
of  dry  grass  while  the  brother  cut  straight  wil- 
low rods  for  his  arrows  and  searched  the  bed  of 
the  brook  for  fitting  stones  with  which  to  head 
them.  When  he  had  weapons  enough  the  boy 
approached  the  lakeshore,  creeping  among  the 
shrub  and  the  still  standing  grass.  Some  white- 
faced  geese  which  he  had  heard  continuously 
flapping  their  wings  and  gabbling,  were  sitting 
upon  the  sand  or  puddling  in  the  shallow  water 
near  at  hand.  Etapa  succeeded  in  stealing 

55 


within  a  few  steps  of  one  of  these  and  buried  a 
jagged  shaft  in  its  side.  Before  the  bird  could 
struggle  into  the  water  and  while  a  hundred 
others  rose  flapping  and  squalling  above  his 
head,  the  lad  pounced  upon  his  game  with  a 
little  whoop  of  triumph.  It  was  the  first  time  he 
had  killed  maga,  the  wild  goose. 

Zintkala  also  was  highly  pleased  with  the 
young  hunter's  success.  An  hour  or  so  later, 
while  they  were  making  savory  roasts  of  their 
goose  meat,  their  evening  was  rounded  out  by 
another  adventure. 

While  eating  and  talking  in  low  tones  their 
acute  ears  caught  a  light  patter  of  footfalls  and, 
looking  about,  they  saw  a  shadow  figure  flit 
across  the  fire-lit  grass  plat.  It  was  sung-manitu, 
the  wolf,  and  the  brother  and  sister  looked  at 
each  other  inquiringly. 

"Why  is  this  one  come  to  us?"  they  asked  each 
other  and  neither  could  give  an  answer.  They 
were  not  afraid.  The  wolf  does  not  attack 
people  at  their  campfires — never  at  all  unless 
driven  by  maddening  hunger.  Neither,  in  the 
Dakota  belief,  does  this  animal,  which  is  invested 
with  sacred  and  supernatural  qualities,  approach 
near  to  human  beings  except  to  convey  informa- 
tion or  warning  from  the  higher  powers  of  intel- 
ligence. . 

Therefore  these  children  ceased  eating  and 
sat  in  hushed  expectancy,  awaiting  the  further 

56 


THE      DANGER      OF      DELAYS 

movements  of  sung-manitu.  Every  slightest 
rustle  of  bush  or  twig  fell  upon  their  ears  as  the 
animal  moved  now  here,  now  there,  keeping 
within  the  toss  of  a  stone  of  their  campfire. 
Occasionally  the  wolf  stopped  stock  still,  as  if 
listening  intently,  and  their  ears  were  filled  only 
with  the  distant  spatter  and  gabble  of  water-fowl. 
Then  sung-manitu  moved  again,  and  they  heard 
nothing  else. 

Presently  the  animal  came  into  the  open  upon 
the  side  opposite  to  where  it  had  just  been  seen 
and,  sitting  upon  its  haunches,  looked  intently 
toward  the  silent  watchers  and  their  fire.  Its 
gray  outlines,  its  lighter-colored  forelegs,  its 
pointed  nose  and  ears,  and  a  fire  flicker  of  reflec- 
tion in  its  eyes,  were  plainly  visible.  Thus  it  sat, 
solemn  and  motionless,  seeming  to  convey  to  the 
voyagers  some  occult  message  of  the  wilderness. 
So  they  accepted  its  action,  listening  and  looking 
with  all  their  souls  to  interpret  the  signs. 

When  the  wolf  finally  trotted  into  the  bushes, 
going  away  from  the  lake,  and  passed  beyond 
earshot,  the  brother  and  sister  again  looked  at 
each  other  with  deep  inquiry.  "I  think — "  said 
Etapa.  "  I  think — "  repeated  Zintkala,  but 
neither  of  them  got  any  further,  and  they 
resumed  eating  in  a  ruminant  mood.  They 
finally  rolled  themselves  in  their  blankets,  saying 
nothing  and  much  puzzled  by  the  conduct  of 
sung-manitu. 

57 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Their  bed  was  dry  marsh  grass,  their  roof  a 
low  sky  set  with  stars,  and  their  lullaby  the 
tumultuous  murmur  of  a  million  water-fowl. 

They  awoke  in  the  pale  twilight  of  a  morning 
which  the  pen  hesitates  to  set  forth — a  spring 
morning  of  the  north  land — a  morning  with  a 
clear,  near  sky,  a  soft,  cool  air,  pine-scented, 
fresh  with  the  breath  of  pure  waters  and  beat 
upon  by  the  wings  and  cries  of  a  myriad  of 
migrators.  The  emotions  of  any  creature  with 
five  senses  are  stirred  by  such  a  morning.  Its 
air  is  breathed  as  a  tonic  and  the  pulse  is  quick- 
ened with  a  desire  for  exertion. 

As  by  common  impulse  the  Sioux  children 
separated  and,  each  seeking  a  bath  pool,  stripped 
and  splashed  in  the  cold  water  of  the  brook  with 
an  enjoyment  whetted  by  long  abstinence  from 
the  privilege.  When  they  returned  to  their 
camp  each  was  filled  with  elation  and  excite- 
ment, and  they  would  dearly  have  liked  a  noisy 
race  upon  the  lakeshore,  but  there  was  caution 
to  observe  and  breakfast  to  obtain;  for  some  sly 
creature  had  made  away  with  the  remains  of 
their  goose  during  the  night. 

Upon  going  to  look  for  game  Etapa  found  the 
birds  all  out  at  sea.  But  there  were  many  fish 
running  in  the  brook  and,  affixing  Zintkala's 
long  knife  to  the  end  of  a  pole,  the  boy  quickly 
killed  enough  for  a  breakfast. 

During  the  meal  some  ducks  alighted,  squal- 

58 


THE     DANGER     OF     DELAYS 

ling,  upon  the  beach  where  he  had  looked  for 
them.  As  that  day's  journey  must  take  them 
into  the  woods  again,  where  there  might  be  no 
lakes  and  streams  harboring  game,  Etapa  stole 
to  the  waterfront  to  try  for  a  shot.] 

His  first  arrow  was  effective  in  knocking  over 
two  small  ducks,  but  when  he  ran  to  pick  them 
up  the  lad  made  a  discovery  which  turned  him 
cold  from  head  to  feet.  There  were  fresh  moc- 
casin tracks  upon  the  sand  of  the  beach! 

Three  men  had  passed  that  morning,  doubtless 
before  himself  and  Zintkala  were  awake,  cer- 
tainly before  the  light  had  come,  else  they  would 
have  discovered  his  own  ^tracks  where  he  had 
chased  the  goose.  When  he  had  recovered  from 
surprise  and  dismay  Etapa  stepped  quickly  back 
to  the  cover  of  overhanging  bush. 

This  boy  was  possessed  of  a  keen  intelligence 
and  the  gifts  of  intuition  which  the  wilderness 
bestows  upon  its  children.  Therefore  the  situa- 
tion quickly  shaped  itself  in  his  mind.  From  a 
slight  elevation  the  evening  before  he  had  noted 
that  a  bog  marsh,  leading  back  to  a  tamarack 
swamp,  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
upon  his  left.  He  had  perceived  that  he  was 
making  his  way  along  a  neck  between  this 
swamp  and  the  lake.  What  if  the  marsh  were 
merely  an  arm  of  the  lake  crooked  back  from 
some  point  in  advance! 

His  eye  scanned  the  shore-line.     Yes,  it  was 

59 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

so — away  down  the  nearly  regular  inward  curve 
birds  were  flying  to  and  fro,  apparently  going  in 
and  out  of  some  tall  pine  woods.  Those  birds 
were  following  an  arm  of  the  marsh.  How 
foolish  he  had  been  not  to  think  of  this  before! 
He  had  run  into  a  trap.  He  had  been  trailed 
across  the  burned  ground  and  marked  down  as 
hiding  somewhere  between  swamp  and  lake. 
At  that  moment  he  hazarded  no  guess  in  the 
swift  conclusion  that  he  and  Zintkala-Zi  were 
hemmed  in  by  Tall  Gun's  Ojibwa  trailers. 


60 


CHAPTER    VI 
AS  THE  RABBITS  HIDE 

Even  as  the  boy  stood,  considering  how  he 
might  best  cover  his  tracks  in  the  sand,  two  men 
appeared,  not  five  bow-shots  distant,  walking 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  Nothing  but  instant 
flight  and  a  cunningly  blinded  trail  could  save 
the  little  voyagers.  . 

Etapa  sped  back  to  camp  and,  as  he  burst  into 
the  opening,  Zintkala  read  the  evil  tidings  in 
his  excitement.  She  had  already  buried  the 
embers  of  a  smokeless  fire  of  charred  wood,  had 
packed  their  blankets  and  other  articles  in  two 
small,  tight  rolls,  and  she  looked  at  her  brother 
with  a  scared,  inquiring  face.  He  put  up  a 
warning  hand  until  he  had  come  very  near. 

"The  Raratonwan!"  he  said.  "They  are  com- 
ing— we  must  go  quickly." 

As  by  a  lightning  stroke  the  sister's  mind 
reverted  to  the  mysterious  visit  of  the  wolf. 
"Brother!"  she  said,  as  Etapa  seized  his  pack, 
"sung-manitu  said  thus — go  in  this  direction!" 

"It  is  so,"  said  Etapa,  struck  by  the  thought, 
"we  should  have  gone  more  quickly."  He 
looked  at  the  ducks  in  his  hand.  It  would  not 
do  to  leave  so  much  as  a  feather  upon  the  trail 
they  must  make  and  he  flung  his  birds  into  the 

61 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

brook.  "Come,"  he  said.  They  did  not  run; 
they  slipped  into  the  bushes  at  a  light  and 
hurried  walk.  The  sister  followed  the  brother 
and  their  feet  almost  unconsciously  sought  the 
bare,  hard  spots,  their  bodies  weaved  from  side 
to  side  to  avoid  a  telltale  contact  with  the  ever- 
green bush. 

A  swift  change  had  come  over  the  buoyant, 
hopeful  children  of  the  morning.  All  the  help- 
ful spirits,  the  birds  and  animals,  had  seemed  to 
be  aiding  in  their  escape  from  the  Ojibwa.  Sud- 
denly the  enemy  had  come  upon  them  and  they 
were  flung  upon  their  own  resources  in  this 
desperate  case.  The  flushed  and  confident  faces 
of  so  late  a  moment  were  drawn  and  pinched, 
and  a  pair  of  bloodless,  breathless  waifs,  like 
ephemeral  shadows,  flitted  from  bush  to  bush. 

In  this  swift,  silent  walk  they  progressed  in  a 
general  direction  toward  the  tamarack  swamp; 
yet  Etapa  was  continually  taking  sharp,  zigzag 
courses,  now  and  then  going  back  upon  his  trail 
as  the  fox-chased  rabbit  does.  He  had  no  pos- 
sible doubt  that  the  upper  reaches  of  this  neck  of 
bush  land  were  guarded  closely  by  watching, 
listening  Indians,  or  that  the  men  below  would, 
within  a  brief  time,  discover  their  night  camp 
and  their  line  of  flight.  Therefore  he  and  Zint- 
kala  must  keep  going,  if  need  be  until  night 
fall,  unceasingly  dodging  and  warily  listening  for 
hostile  sounds. 

62 


AS     THE     RABBITS     HIDE 

Suddenly  a  gun  boomed  in  the  rear.  To  their 
scared  ears  the  sound  was  as  if  a  shot  had  been 
fired  at  them  from  the  bush  near  at  hand.  But 
far  away  to  northward  another  gun  answered, 
and  they  knew  the  first  shot  had  announced  the 
discovery  of  their  tracks  or  their  camp,  and  the 
second  had  been  fired  in  answer  to  a  precon- 
certed signal.  Then  a  still  more  distant  gun 
report  told  them  that  at  least  three  parties  of 
the  enemy  hemmed  them  in  upon  the  neck. 

Instinctively,  Etapa  changed  his  course,  going 
—  as  ear  and  eye  decided  —  in  a  straight  line 
in  the  direction  of  the  second  gun  shot.  On  this 
track  they  advanced  swiftly  until  the  boy's 
instinct  told  him  it  was  time  to  stop  and  listen. 
Then  they  squatted  under  the  bushes  and,  with 
ears  close  to  ground,  remained  silent  for  some 
minutes. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  rustling  of  the  young 
pines  and  a  snapping  of  twigs  which  told  of  the 
rapid  approach  of  some  creature.  A  brief 
moment  of  listening  decided  the  matter.  A  man 
was  coming!  How  the  young  ears  were  strained 
and  the  little  hearts  ceased  to  beat  that  the 
direction  of  those  footfalls  should  be  accurately 
judged!  And  what  faint,  long  sighs  of  relief 
were  breathed  when  it  became  evident  that  only 
one  man  was  within  hearing  and  that  he  was 
going  by  upon  one  side,  paralleling  their  course. 

Etapa  then  considered.      If   there  had  been 

63 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

several  men  and  they  had  all  passed,  making  no 
discovery,  he  would  have  gone  straight  forward, 
at  least  for  a  considerable  distance.  But  that 
way  lay  danger  even  greater  perhaps  than  in 
the  rear,  and  so  again  he  turned  their  course 
toward  the  tamarack  swamp  and  again  resumed 
the  tactics  of  zigzagging  and  doubling.  And  no 
hunter,  merely  crossing  the  trail  thus  made, 
could  have  discovered  it  except  by  accident  or  a 
prolonged  and  infinitely  patient  search.  But  the 
best  tracker  of  Tall  Gun's  band  would  doubtless 
shortly  be  put  upon  their  trail  at  the  other  end. 

After  making  their  way  in  laborious  fashion 
for  some  distance  toward  the  marsh  the  fugitives 
came  upon  a  slight  stony  ridge  the  far  slope  of 
which  extended  to  the  open  swamp.  Etapa 
turned  to  his  sister  with  a  sudden  light  of  anima- 
tion in  his  eyes.  Zintkala's  pale,  drawn  face 
responded  with  an  eager  flush  of  comprehension, 
and  again  their  hearts  beat  hopefully. 

Here,  where  the  bush  was  not  so  thick,  they 
made  their  way  more  rapidly,  stepping  from 
stone  to  stone,  very  certain  that  no  human  enemy 
could  trail  them  upon  such  ground.  This  tract 
of  rocky  soil  continued,  lying  along  the  marsh, 
for  a  considerable  distance. 

Etapa  led  the  way  to  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  marsh's  edge,  then  followed  where  the 
stones  were  thickest,  taking  a  course  parallel  to 
its  irregular  curves.  Thus  they  actually  traveled 

64 


AS     THE     RABBITS     HIDE 

for  a  considerable  distance  back  toward  their 
night  camp.  This  course  they  followed  so  long 
as  the  stones  lay  thick  upon  the  ground.  They 
had  to  stoop  low  at  times  to  keep  their  bodies 
under  cover. 

When  they  were  at  the  end  of  the  stony  tract 
they  had  reached  a  point  well  down  toward 
where  the  bog  marsh  connected  with  the  lake 
and  had  made  nearly  a  half-circuit  of  their  camp. 
Beyond  the  two  gun  shots,  and  the  man  running 
among  the  bushes,  they  had  heard  nothing  of 
their  enemies. 

Etapa  now  cast  his  eyes  about  for  an  incon- 
spicuous place  of  hiding.  He  finally  selected  a 
thin  strip  of  shrub  pine,  upon  the  verge  of  the 
bog  land,  where  the  bush  was  barely  sufficient  to 
cover  the  prostrate  body  from  prying  eyes. 

Within  this  thin  fringe  of  bush — the  last  covert 
that  a  civilized  person  would  have  chosen — the 
Sioux  children  took  to  cover  after  the  manner 
of  the  rabbits.  They  chose,  with  the  instinct  of 
wild  things,  each  a  spot  sheltered  by  slightly 
raised  boulders  and  a  thin  veil  of  pine  foliage. 
Each  spread  a  blanket  in  double  folds  and  lay 
at  full  length  upon  it.  And  here  they  rested 
silently,  with  watchful  eyes  and  wary  ears,  well 
knowing  that  a  number  of  Ojibwa  hunters  were 
at  the  other  end  of  their  morning's  trail  and  fol- 
lowing with  more  than  the  persistence  of  a  wolf 
pack.  The  children  were  now  wholly  dependent 

65 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

for  safety  upon  their  success  in  having  made  a 
blind  trail.  As  to  immediate  danger,  they  were 
not  much  worried,  yet,  as  the  sun  rose  high  and 
beat  warmly  upon  their  covert,  each  fought  a 
mental  battle  with  drowsiness.  They  lay  thus 
wearily  until  the  afternoon  was  waning,  seeing 
or  hearing  nothing  to  alarm. 

Then  their  still  alert  ears  caught  slight  sounds 
as  of  some  creature  walking  in  the  shallow  water 
of  the  bog  marsh.  Soon  a  softly-measured 
tread,  marked  by  the  light  plash  and  drip  of 
water  as  a  foot  was  lifted  or  immersed,  told 
the  intent  ears  that  a  man  was  approaching, 
wading  along  shore.  With  bated  breath, 
with  animation  suspended  save  as  nature 
concentrated  it  upon  the  sense  of  hearing, 
the  fugitive  waifs  lay  inert  as  the  stones  beside 
them. 

Both,  as  it  happened,  and  chiefly  for  interest 
in  passing  flights  of  water-fowl,  had  their  faces 
turned  toward  the  open  swamp.  As  their 
eyes  thus  rested  upon  a  space  veiled  lightly  by 
the  pencil  growth  of  pine,  a  man  came  within 
their  range  of  vision  and  so  close  at  hand  that  a 
hiding  deer  would  scarcely  have  held  its  covert 
in  their  places. 

Yet  these  two  did  not  stir  so  much  as  an  eye- 
lid while  an  Ojibwa,  who  could  almost  have 
touched  the  bush  fringes  with  his  gun,  waded 
softly  by,  stepping  in  shallow  water  between  the 

66 


AS    THE     RABBITS     HIDE 

first  bogs  of  the  wet  ground.  The  man  was 
young  and  a  stranger  to  the  voyagers — thus  they 
knew  that  Bimidji's  young  men,  of  another  pine- 
woods  village,  had  joined  with  Tall  Gun's  in  the 
chase.  In  the  same  instant  their  torture  of  fear 
was  lightened  by  noting  that  the  hunter's  eyes 
were  intent  upon  the  tufts  of  grass  which  clothed 
the  bogs  and  drooped  into  the  water.  Evidently 
their  trail  had  been  lost  when  their  enemies 
reached  the  stony  ground! 

This  man  supposed  they  might  have  crossed 
the  marsh  somewhere  about  this  point  where 
the  reach  of  open  bog  and  water  was  narrowest, 
and  he  was  keenly  scanning  the  feathered  float 
of  grass  for  sign  of  any  fresh  displacement.  In 
fact,  he  was  looking  into  the  shallow  water  for 
their  tracks!  The  man  was  very  cunning — such 
was  the  thought  of  his  breathless  watchers,  and 
it  was  with  intense  relief  that  they  heard  the  last 
drip  of  water  from  his  moccasined  heels. 

The  trail  hunter  passed  so  close  that  had  he 
turned  his  head  to  peer  intently  for  an  instant 
into  the  feather-like  fringe  of  pines  he  must 
certainly  have  discovered  the  hiders.  But, 
such  was  the  wisdom  of  these  prairie  children, 
it  is  almost  equally  certain  the  hunter  would 
have  been  astonished  at  their  choice  of  covert. 

Again,  had  the  hunter's  faculties  been  less 
intently  engaged  and  those  of  the  fugitives  less 
utterly  repressed,  he  might,  by  his  wilderness 

67 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

instinct,  have  felt  their  near  presence  and  so 
have  turned  his  eyes  upon  them. 

Such  was  the  ordeal  through  which  the  Sioux 
children  had  consciously  yet  instinctively  passed. 
The  rebound  of  joyful  emotion  when  the  danger 
had  gone  by  was  almost  more  than  either  could 
endure  in  silence.  The  little  girl  even  found 
humor  in  the  situation,  and  she  almost  laughed 
outright  as  she  recalled  how  the  man's  toes  had 
curled  each  time  as  he  lifted  them  from  the 
water.  Evidently  there  was  ice  at  the  bottom. 

Etapa's  elation  ran  very  high,  for  he  felt  very 
certain  this  man's  report  would  keep  any  whom 
he  should  meet  from  going  over  the  same 
ground.  But  there  was  also  a  sobering  second 
thought  in  the  knowledge  that  other  Ojibwas 
had  joined  Tall  Gun's  young  men  in  the  pursuit. 
This  might  very  well  mean  that  'Lizbet  was  dead 
and  her  people  (relatives)  bent  upon  revenge. 

So  wearily  he  lay,  as  did  his  sister,  breathing 
with  soft  regularity,  relaxing  no  whit  of  vigi- 
lance. It  was  a  matter  not  only  of  life  or  liberty, 
but  of  honor  now,  to  foil  these  hated  Ojibwas. 
Again,  however,  their  faces  were  turned  to  the 
swamp  where  flocks  of  ducks  hurtled  by  in 
almost  continuous  flight.  Blue  wings,  green 
wings,  black  and  white  with  flashes  of  red  and 
gold — swiftly  the  procession  passed,  whistling 
upon  the  wind  like  swift  flights  of  missiles. 

Now  and  then  a  flock  of  white-faced  geese 

68 


AS    THE     RABBITS     HIDE 

skirted  the  edge  of  the  marsh,  flying  low — so 
low  that  their  dove-colored  breasts  and  great 
spread  of  wing  seemed,  for  an  instant,  to  hover 
protectingly  over  the  hidden  voyagers.  Yet  the 
wary  watchers  well  knew  that  in  these  close 
flights  there  was  an  element  of  danger  to  them- 
selves. Should  any  suspicious  stir  or  glint  of 
color  catch  the  cocked  eye  of  the  wary  leader  of 
one  of  these  flocks  his  whole  herd  would  go 
hurtling  and  squalling  skyward,  as  plain  a  signal 
to  the  watchful  Ojibwa  as  the  red  light  of  a  camp- 
fire.  So,  hungry  and  bone-weary,  the  little  voy- 
agers lay  close  in  covert  until  night  gathered  its 
curtain  close  about  them  and  they  were  free  to 
move  with  little  danger  of  being  seen. 


69 


'CHAPTER    VII 
INTO  THE  TAMARACK  SWAMP 

Wicarpi-kin,  the  stars,  were  glimmering  here 
and  there  out  of  a  hazy  sky,  but  all  the  bush 
land  lay  mottled  in  thick  darkness,  and  the  open 
stretch  of  bog  and  water  showed  only  as  a  faintly 
seen  and  uncertain  space,  hemmed  with  a  black 
wall  which  marked  the  line  of  the  tamarack 
swamp. 

This  swamp,  if  it  were  passable  for  the  feet, 
offered  a  line  of  retreat  from  the  surrounding 
bush  land,  where  certainly  no  trail  could  be  fol- 
lowed beyond  the  extreme  edge,  and  not  there  if 
the  steps  were  taken  with  proper  care. 

Etapa  was  not  certain  of  the  depth  out  where 
the  bog  had  showed  only  tufts  of  grass  above 
the  water's  surface,  but  the  wader  had  taught 
him  as  well  as  Zintkala  that  at  the  bottom  of 
the  bog  was  solid  footing  of  ice  and  frozen 
ground.  The  marsh  ice  had  been  covered  early 
with  an  overflow  of  melted  snows,  and  it  so  lay 
thawing  by  degrees. 

The  boy  spoke  to  his  sister  in  low  tones,  the 
general  confusion  of  night  sounds  in  this  season 
of  bird  migration  making  it  safe  to  do  so. 

"Older  sister,"  he  said,  "we  shall  go  hither  far 

70 


INTO    THE    TAMARACK    SWAMP 

among  those  thick  trees  and  there  hide  for 
another  sun." 

They  rolled  their  blankets  and  effects  in  close 
bundles  and  tied  them  to  their  backs  about  the 
waist,  Zintkala  saying  nothing. 

Etapa  led  the  way  and  they  stepped  from 
some  close-lying  boulders  into  the  water,  where 
there  were  few  bogs  and  little  grass.  They 
walked  very  carefully,  lifting  their  feet  high  and 
putting  them  straight  down  to  displace  as  little 
as  possible  of  the  dead  vegetation.  They  had 
not  waded  long  until  they  were  sure  that  no  one 
would  follow  them  far  into  the  swamp.  The 
water  was  much  colder  than  that  of  the  lakes, 
and  the  ice  at  bottom  soon  benumbed  their  feet. 

The  water  was  nowhere  more  than  knee-deep, 
but  even  so  its  chill  became  well  nigh  unendurable. 
No  man  could  here  have  waded  for  a  great 
length  of  time.  But  there  was  capture  or  death 
behind  the  little  voyagers  and  they  pushed  ahead 
with  cramping  feet  and  chilling  bones.  When 
they  reached  the  tamarack  trees  they  were  com- 
pelled to  seek  low-lying  limbs,  of  the  larger 
growth,  and  to  stand  upon  them,  beating  their 
moccasined  feet  until  the  blood  returned  to 
them. 

Then,  hungry  and  still  shivering,  they  began 
to  thread  their  way  into  the  depths  of  a  swamp 
where  the  growth  of  small  tree  trunks  was  so 
dense  as  sometimes  to  compel  them  to  turn 

71 


TWO     WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

their  bodies  edgewise,  pulling  their  bundle  rolls 
after  them,  in  order  to  advance.  The  water  was 
everywhere  half  knee-deep  and  the  gloom 
intense.  Now  and  then,  through  the  skeleton 
web  overhead,  one  particularly  bright  star  glim- 
mered and  its  fitful  twinkle  was  all  the  guide 
they  had.  For  the  most  part  they  made  their 
way  by  feeling.  Etapa  trailed  his  unstrung  bow 
and  bundle  in  one  hand  and  with  the  other 
searched  the  spaces  in  his  front,  and  Zintkala 
followed,  treading  as  closely  as  possible  upon  his 
heels,  never  daring  to  drop  beyond  arms'  reach. 
Thus,  slowly  and  with  infinite  patience,  they 
advanced  into  the  heart  of  a  perilous  swamp. 
Wherever  they  could  find  a  limb  of  considerable 
size  thrust  across  their  path  they  endeavored  to 
climb  upon  it  in  order  to  beat  warmth  into  their 
feet.  Sometimes  this  was  possible  and  some- 
times, because  of  the  thick  growth  overhead, 
they  were  compelled  to  creep  beneath  or  to  pass 
around.  In  spite  of  these  occasional  respites 
from  the  biting  cold  of  ice-water  their  feet  in 
time  became  so  numb  and  their  legs  so  cramped 
that  they  groped  their  way  stumblingly,  nerved 
only  by  the  necessity  of  foiling  their  enemies. 
Doubtless  the  unspoken  thought  of  each  was 
that  they  might  easily  perish  in  this  unknown 
swamp — but  it  was  better  to  die  here  than  again 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Ojibwa. 

How   many   dreadful    hours    were   passed   in 

72 


INTO    THE    TAMARACK    SWAMP 

threading  the  mazes  of  the  tamarack  swamp  can- 
not be  known.  The  voyagers'  feet  and  legs  at 
length  became  so  numb  and  useless  that  they 
were  barely  able  to  drag  them  over  the  rough 
under  surface,  pulling  themselves  forward  by 
grasping  the  limbs  or  small  trunks  of  trees. 
They  could  no  longer  pound  life  into  their  legs, 
even  upon  a  fallen  log  which  they  attempted  to 
stand  upon. 

"Brother,"  said  Zintkala,  after  a  weary  time, 
"brother,  I  perish.  I  cannot  walk."  Her  teeth 
were  chattering  so  that  she  could  hardly  speak 
the  words. 

"Come,  Tanke,  let  us  go  on  yet  a  little  longer," 
urged  Etapa.  "We  shall  find  some  large  fallen 
tree  and  lie  upon  it  to  rest." 

They  did  not  find  the  tree  but,  after  painfully 
dragging  their  limbs  some  little  distance  further, 
they  came  suddenly  upon  a  small  open  plat  of 
marsh  grass — such  as  is  often  found,  a  little 
oasis  in  the  tamarack  woods — where  the  ground 
lay  quite  above  the  water's  level.  Half-frozen, 
faint  with  hunger  and  dizzy  with  fatigue,  they 
stumbled  upon  this  dry  grass  as  those  who  are 
drowning  clutch  the  plank  of  safety. 

Zintkala  fell  in  a  heap,  her  limbs  cramping, 
her  teeth  chattering,  too  exhausted  for  a  warm- 
ing exercise.  She  had  clung  to  her  blanket  roll 
mechanically.  Etapa,  though  he  shook  as  with 
a  fever  chill,  was  yet  able  to  keep  his  feet.  He 

73 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

stamped  about  clumsily  but  manfully,  crying  out 
to  his  sister  that  she  should  do  as  he  did.  In 
thus  tramping  and  attempting  to  jump  he 
stumbled  backward  over  a  dead  tree  which  had 
fallen  across  the  opening.  As  he  crashed  among 
the  branches  some  animal  of  the  cat  tribe  sprang 
from  its  warm  nest  spitting  and  growling  angrily. 
This  creature  scrambled  into  a  near  tree-top  and 
continued  to  menace  the  intruders  with  angry 
snarls. 

Somewhat  frightened  by  the  threats  of  the 
cat,  Etapa  decided  to  build  a  fire.  As  there  was 
no  wind  blowing  he  knew  that  the  smoke  must 
go  upward  and  could  hardly  carry  a  telltale  scent 
to  the  enemy. 

Following  the  dead  tree  to  its  broken  tops,  he 
soon  secured  an  armful  of  fagots  and,  with  a 
wisp  of  dry  grass  for  kindling,  speedily  had  a 
snapping  fire  going.  As  the  blaze  crept  out  upon 
the  grass  he  stamped  it  out  with  his  wet  moc- 
casins and  so  prevented  the  disaster  of  a  tale- 
telling  light  upon  the  sky.  The  tamarack  sticks 
burned  briskly,  and  Zintkala  •  crawled  on  her 
hands  and  knees  into  the  grateful  warmth. 

Seeing  her  condition,  Etapa  piled  on  more 
sticks  and  both  sat  with  their  benumbed  feet 
thrust  almost  into  the  flames.  Ah,  how  good 
was  the  heat!  It  was  truly  waste-ste.  But  they 
were  no  sooner  warm  than  hunger  pinched 
them  anew. 

74 


INTO    THE    TAMARACK    SWAMP 

While  they  sat  warming  their  feet  they  heard 
the  wildcat  scramble  away  among  the  trees,  but 
soon  a  saucy  owl,  perched  near  at  hand, 
shrieked  at  them  mockingly,  "Hu-hoo!  hu!  who- 
whoo!"  and  had  they  understood  English  they 
might  have  answered  after  the  manner  of  the 
lost  son  of  Erin — "None,  sor,  that  yer  honor 
should  be  envyin'." 

After  a  long  time,  when  they  were  thoroughly 
dry  and  warm,  they  wrapped  themselves  tightly 
in  their  blankets  and,  in  spite  of  a  gnawing 
hunger,  slept. 

It  was  not  yet  daylight  when  the  chill  air 
awoke  Zintkala,  who  sat  up  to  draw  her  blanket 
more  closely  around  her  and  instantly  was 
stricken  with  fright.  The  sky  was  obscured  and 
the  darkness  intense.  None  who  do  not  know 
by  experience  the  oppressive  blackness  of  a 
tamarack  swamp  upon  a  rayless  night  can  imag- 
ine its  effect  upon  the  mind  of  this  Indian  girl. 
It  was  a  weird,  dank  darkness  which  carried  a 
positive  conviction  of  the  reign  of  under-world 
spirits.  She  was  smitten  with  the  fear  of  the 
water-god  of  the  Dakotas,  the  fabled  monster  of 
the  wakan-wicasa  or  medicine  men. 

"Hoye,  younger  brother,"  she  called,  in  a 
sharp,  low  voice,  "awake  quickly!  I  am  afraid 
of  Unk-te-hi."  She  thrust  out  a  hand  and  shook 
him,  repeating  her  appeal. 

"He-hee,   why  do   you    thus   wake   me?"    he 

75 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

grumbled.  "Shh-te!"  she  warned.  "Unk-te-hi 
will  hear  you  and  the  under-water  people  will 
surely  devour  us." 

At  this  the  boy  sat  up,  shivering.  He,  too, 
was  stricken  with  the  fear  of  Unk-te-hi  and  his 
under-water  beasts. 

"Let  us  keep  very  still,"  he  murmured,  "and 
pray  to  the  thunder  spirits.  Perhaps  they  will 
keep  the  evil  ones  from  finding  us.  Do  you  not 
think,  older  sister,  that  they  have  made  it  very 
dark  against  the  under-water  beasts?" 

"It  is  very  dark,"  she  muttered,  "but  do  not 
speak  further,  younger  brother." 

An  unwonted  and,  as  it  seemed  to  these  chil- 
dren, a  dreadful  silence  had  fallen  upon  the 
earth.  They  did  not  know  it,  but  a  fog  had  risen 
and  hung  densely  in  the  woods  and  upon  the 
waters.  The  migrating  birds  and  woodfolk,  see- 
ing nothing,  had  fallen  to  rest.  A  dead  stillness 
reigned  save  that  now  and  then  an  intermittent, 
rasping  shriek  seemed  to  pierce  all  the  black 
depths  of  the  woods  and  once  a  hollow,  terrible 
laugh  fell  out  of  the  sky.  The  children  were  too 
much  frightened  to  recognize  the  cries  of  the 
swamp  owl  and  of  that  unerring  swimmer,  diver 
and  flier,  the  loon.  They  heard  only  the  voices 
of  Unk-te-hi  and  his  evil  ones,  who  they 
doubted  not  were  seeking  to  devour  the  invad- 
ers of  their  dismal  swamp. 

They  snuggled,  trembling,  close  together  and 

76 


INTO    THE    TAMARACK    SWAMP 

could  only  whisper  the  hope  that  Wakinyan,  the 
spirit  of  thunders,  enemy  of  Unk-te-hi,  had  cast 
a  black  robe  over  the  woods  to  blind  the  evil 
one.  Fervently,  but  with  scarcely  audible  voices, 
they  prayed  to  the  spirits  of  the  upper  air  to 
protect  them. 

With  the  coming  of  light  they  felt  that  their 
prayers  had  been  answered  and  their  fears 
passed  to  give  place  to  the  gnaw  of  hunger.  Be- 
cause of  the  fog  there  was  in  the  swamp  no  living 
thing  to  be  seen  or  heard. 

"Come,  older  sister,  let  us  go  from  here,"  said 
the  brother,  and  with  a  hopeless  face  the  little 
girl  packed  her  bundle.  There  was  no  mark  of 
land  or  sky  to  guide  them,  but  they  felt  that  they 
must  go  while  they  yet  had  strength  to  with- 
stand the  cold  wading. 

Etapa  found  traces  in  the  dry  grass  of  their 
tracks  in  coming  in  upon  the  opening  and  they 
left,  going  in  the  opposite  direction.  Again  the 
dismal  wading  with  water  from  ankle  to  knee 
deep  and  the  same  wedging  and  winding  amid 
rough,  close  standing  tree  trunks  and  with  the 
barest  flicker  of  befogged  skylight  overhead. 

There  was  a  single  element  of  cheeriness  amid 
the  gloom,  for  again  they  heard  the  whistle  of 
wings  overhead,  the  booming  call  and  the  far-off 
murmur,  of  innumerable  water-fowl. 

In  order  to  keep  a  single  course,  Etapa  would 
fasten  his  eye  upon  the  farthest  tree  trunk  to  be 

77 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

seen  ahead  and  when  this  was  reached  would 
look  on  to  the  next.  But  there  were  spots  where 
the  small  growth  stood  so  close  he  could  only 
have  made  a  straight  path,  laboriously,  with  his 
hatchet.  So  the  small  trail-maker  would  turn,  as 
he  supposed,  at  a  direct  angle,  until  he  could 
pass  the  thick  growth  and  take  up  his  former 
direction.  Even  to  a  forest-bred  Indian  the 
tamarack  swamp  is  an  intricate  puzzle,  and  the 
prairie-bred  boy  was  no  match  for  its  mazes. 

On  and  on  waded  the  fugitives,  veering  to  this 
direction  or  that  as  necessity  demanded,  becom- 
ing more  and  more  confused,  cold  and  thor- 
oughly wretched  as  no  outlet  from  the  swamp 
appeared.  They  were  rejoiced  when  rarely  they 
found  a  fallen  or  a  leaning  tree  upon  which  they 
could  beat  their  cold  feet  and  rest. 

After  a  fearful  length  of  time,  famished  with 
hunger,  and  ready  to  drop  from  the  cold-water 
cramp  and  fatigue,  they  came  out  of  the  dread- 
ful woods  to  set  their  feet  gladly  again  upon  dry 
ground,  but  to  find,  to  their  later  amazement, 
that  they  had  performed  the  miracle  of  the  lost, 
and  had  returned  exactly  to  the  starting  point. 
Again,  of  necessity,  they  built  a  fire  of  the  dead 
tree's  branches  to  warm  their  chilled  legs  and 
dry  their  clothes,  and  here  they  knew  they  must 
stay  until  the  sun  should  shine. 


78 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE   EAGLES   PROVIDE 

They  felt  quite  safe  from  search  of  the  Ojibwa, 
for  who  would  risk  life  wading  in  this  dreadful 
swamp  upon  the  mere  chance  of  discovering  his 
friend  or  his  enemy?  Therefore,  seeing  that  the 
smoke  went  upward,  they  piled  wood  upon  their 
fire  without  fear  of  the  trail  hunters.  But,  hav- 
ing eaten  nothing  now  for  more  than  twenty- 
four  hours,  they  were  desperately  hungry. 
Etapa  fashioned  some  blunt-end  arrows  from 
young  tamarack — for  he  would  not  use  his  "war 
arrows"  except  in  defense — and,  walking  about 
the  small  oasis,  scanned  all  the  tree-tops  in  search 
of  squirrels  or  small  birds.  The  only  sign  of  life 
the  boy  could  discover,  however,  was  at  the  far 
end  of  the  grass  plat,  where  several  dead  trees 
stood  upon  the  dry  ground.  In  the  top  of  one 
of  these  trees  there  was  a  huge  stack  of  small 
sticks  so  interwoven  among  the  limbs  as  to 
impress  upon  the  Indian  boy  a  permanent  dwell- 
ing of  some  large  animal.  For,  though  he  had 
seen  many  bird's  nests — the  eagle's  among 
others — built  of  sticks,  he  had  never  seen  one 
anything  like  so  large,  or  with  an  appearance  so 
solid  and  permanent. 

Despite  the  gnaw  of  hunger,  the  lad  was  curi- 

79 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

ously  interested  in  this  immense  tepee  of  the 
tree-tops,  and  he  sat  upon  the  grass  for  a  long 
time  considering  it.  He  finally  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  mato  sapa,  the  black  bear,  might 
ha-ve  built  his  summer  home  where  he  could  lie 
and  enjoy  the  cool  winds  and  perhaps  at  times 
there  were  young  bears  living  in  the  stick  wig- 
wam. 

He  was  thus  sitting  and  puzzling  in  his  mind 
when  a  big  bird  of  white  breast  came  flapping 
heavily  out  of  the  fog,  flying  low  over  some 
young  tamaracks,  and  struggling  with  a  large 
live  fish  in  its  talons.  The  bird  dipped  down- 
ward, evidently  having  a  hard  time  of  it — for  the 
fish  was  wriggling  violently — then  soared  upward, 
in  an  attempt  to  alight  upon  the  stick  house. 

In  doing  so  the  captor  struck  its  prey  heavily 
upon  the  edge  of  its  nest  and  the  fish,  suddenly 
wrenching  itself  free,  fell  to  the  ground.  Doubt- 
less the  eagle  would  have  recovered  it,  but  Etapa 
pounced  upon  the  God-send  with  a  cry  of  won- 
der and  triumph. 

He  forgot  all  caution  and  ran  through  the  fog 
shouting  with  gladness.  "See — see,  sister,"  he 
cried,  "what  a  bird  has  brought!  It  is  certain 
Wakinyan  has  sent  this  fish!" 

And  Zintkala,  too,  cried  out  with  wonder  and 
joy,  saying  that  surely  they  must  now  know  that 
the  thunder  spirits  had  heard  their  prayers. 
"Younger  brother,"  she  said,  "it  is  signified  that 

80 


THE    EAGLES     PROVIDE 

we  should  not  go  from  here  until  Wi  (the  sun) 
gives  his  light." 

Reverently,  this  child  of  nature  prepared  and 
broiled  the  fish  and  in  no  less  devout  spirit, 
though  tortured  with  hunger,  the  two  ate  of  it. 
Who  shall  say  that  He  whose  ravens  fed  Elijah 
was  less  mindful  of  these  truer  children  of  the 
wilderness? 

When  they  had  finished  eating  Etapa  pro- 
cured some  bark  from  a  cluster  of  willows  upon 
the  grass  land  and,  filling  his  wooden  pipe, 
smoked  to  the  spirit  of  thunders,  pointing  the 
pipe's  stem  toward  the  huge  fish-eagle's  nest  as 
he  exhaled  the  vapor.  As  if  in  answer  to  his  pray- 
ers, the  bird  returned  presently  bearing  another 
fish  in  its  talons.  This  time  the  eagle  alighted 
without  difficulty  upon  its  nest.  A  moment  later 
a  piercing  scream  sounded  out  of  the  fog  and 
the  bird's  mate  swooped  across  to  the  nest,  also 
bearing  a  fish. 

Etapa  and  Zintkala  approached  with  awe  in 
their  faces.  They  wished  to  speak  to  the  birds 
and  to  show  a  humble  and  grateful  spirit  before 
them.  But  the  eagles  both  flew  away.  The  one 
bore  its  prey,  the  other  left  a  fish  upon  the  great 
nest. 

By  means  of  a  pole  which  he  cut,  Etapa 
climbed  into  the  branches  of  a  tree  which  stood 
alongside  and,  after  much  difficulty,  succeeded 
in  poking  the  fish  off  its  perch.  It  was  now 

81 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

quite  evident  to  him  that  a  pair  of  fish-eagles 
had  built  the  "house  tepee,"  but  he  none  the  less 
devoutly  believed  that  the  birds  were  obeying 
some  wakan-waste,  or  good  spirit,  in  bringing 
and  leaving  the  fish.  Doubtless  the  eagles  had 
thought  that  two  fishes  were  enough  for  two 
small  Dakotas  and  so  had  carried  one  away  for 
their  own  eating. 

"Ho,  Tanke,"  said  the  boy,  when  he  had  de- 
scended, "we  shall  stay  here  a  long  time,  I  think, 
for  the  Ojibwa  can  not  find  us.  They  will  say 
the  Dakotas  have  perished." 

"The  smoke  goes  upward  to  the  abode  of 
Wakinyan — it  is  so,"  said  Zintkala. 

"Hoye,  sister,  let  us  make  here  a  small  tepee, 
so  that  rain  will  not  fall  on  us,"  urged  the  boy. 

"We  have  no  skins  for  the  covering,"  objected 
Zintkala. 

"You  shall  see  how  it  is,"  said  Etapa.  "I  will 
put  my  blanket  above  the  top."  And  forthwith 
he  seized  his  tomahawk  and  attacked  some 
young  tamarack  growth  to  secure  his  poles.  Zint- 
kala now  produced  a  working  kit  from  her 
parfleche  and  began  to  make  a  pair  of  moccasins, 
for  those  they  wore  were  nearly  ruined  by  wading 
and  rough  usage.  In  a  little  time  the  boy  had 
set  up  a  number  of  stakes  and  fastened  his  three- 
point  blanket  in  the  form  of  a  tepee  covering 
about  the  top. 

"See,   sister,   go   into   your    lodge   and   there 

82 


THE     EAGLES     PROVIDE 

work,"  pleaded  the  lad,  and  Zintkala  was 
obliged  to  smile  approval  at  the  tiny  affair.  She 
sat  under  the  covering  which  came  perhaps  one- 
third  of  the  way  down  and  was  barely  sufficient 
to  have  fended  a  light  rain  off  her  head  and 
shoulders.  Still,  this  bit  of  shelter  made  her 
feel  more  at  home  than  she  had  done  since  leav- 
ing her  own  Oglala  village.  She  spread  her 
work  about  her  and  unconsciously  assumed  the 
air  of  a  housekeeper. 

Zintkala  had  been  well  taught  at  home. 
Although  small  of  her  age,  and  yet  a  mere  child 
in  appearance,  she  had  seen  eleven  winters  when 
taken  from  her  mother's  tepee,  and  she  had 
been  taught  to  do  all  kinds  of  work,  housewifely 
and  ornamental,  which  falls  to  the  lot  of  an 
industrious  Dakota  girl. 

She  had  no  cutting-board  or  patterns  but 
she  went  very  handily  about  making  a  plain 
pair  of  moccasins.  As  she  worked,  she  desired 
to  be  entertained,  as  was  so  often  done  at  home, 
by  some  pretty,  thrilling  or  humorous  story. 
Therefore  she  said  to  Etapa,  who  had  seated 
himself  to  watch  and  to  criticise  her  cutting  and 
stitching,  "Ho,  young  warrior,  you  who  have 
dreamed  many  curious  things,  tell  me  a  story  of 
IktoV 

Etapa  was  already  the  story-teller  of  Fire 
Cloud's  family.  He  had  two  older  half-brothers 
who  had  been  to  war,  but  he,  Etapa,  on  account 

83 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

of  his  influential  Isanti  relatives,  had  been 
chosen  to  succeed  to  such  hereditary  distinctions 
as  the  Dakotas  recognize.  He  was  to  be  a 
medicine  chief  and  keeper  of  records  and  he 
had  been  drilled  by  his  grandfather  (father's 
uncle)  in  much  of  the  Oglala  folklore.  There 
are  no  more  vivacious  or  entertaining  story-tell- 
ers than  may  be  found  among  Dakotas  of  good 
memory  and  a  lively  manner.  Their  method  is 
the  method  of  nature,  imitative  in  voice  and 
jesture.  Etapa  was  by  nature  a  mimic,  and  he 
had  been  drilled  in  story-telling  from  the  time 
that  his  vocabulary  would  permit. 

Many  of  his  stories  were  of  Iktomi  the  spider, 
a  fabulous  character,  half-goblin,  half-fairy,  and 
a  pitiful  devil  into  the  bargain.  Iktomi  and  his 
escapades  serve  quite  often  a  sober  and  instruc- 
tive purpose,  pointing  a  moral  to  the  giddy,  the 
dishonest  or  the  evil-minded. 

Etapa  liked  now  and  then  to  give  an  exhibi- 
tion of  his  narrative  talent,  and  he  had  not  for  a 
long  time  had  an  opportunity.  He  was  not 
above  flattery,  and  the  sister's  complimentary 
address  pleased  him,  and  so  he  told  this  Dakota 
legend  of 

HOW  IKTOMI  COUNTED  A  COUP. 

"Some  people  had  mentioned  to  Iktomi  that 
he  should  now  go  to  war.  'Heretofore,'  they 
said,  'we  have  urged  you  to  do  so.  You  have 

84 


THE     EAGLES     PROVIDE 

become  very  slothful  and  your  enemies  are 
lying  in  wait  to  attack.  Unless  presently  you 
shall  kill  a  buffalo  bull,  or  strike  the  dead,  you 
can  not  lead  the  people  of  this  village.  'At  the 
least,'  they  said,  'you  should  take  horses  of  our 
enemies,  the  Scili.' 

"Iktomi  retired  to  his  lodge.  He  sat  a  long 
time  considering.  He  was  much  concerned  lest 
the  people  should  regard  him  with  contempt. 
On  the  following  day  he  went  away  and  hid  him- 
self for  a  long  time  in  a  wood. 

"He  returned,  singing:  'Something  I  have 
killed — something  I  have  killed!  Hiwo!  iho! 
Dakotas,  why  followed  ye  not  your  partisan?' 

"The  people  came  forth  from  their  tepees. 
Iktomi  continued  to  sing  very  boastfully.  As  he 
walked  about  he  shook  his  medicine  rattle,  mak- 
ing a  loud  noise.  He  spoke  very  highly  of  him- 
self. He  had  no  bow  and  arrows  and  no 
war-club. 

'  'Perhaps  he  has  a  knife,'  said  some  one. 
Some  one  went  behind,  cutting  off  Iktomi's  belt. 
This  one  held  it  up  exclaiming,  'Oho — this  man 
has  no  weapon  whatever!' 

'  'I  have  slain  an  enemy  with  my  magic,' 
boasted  Iktomi.  'Fie!  oh  fie!'  cried  all  the 
people.  'Hear  this  man — is  it  not  ridiculous? 
Let  us  soldier-kill  him.  Let  us  burn  his  tepee 
and  cut  his  blankets.' 

"The  chief  person  of  this  village  was  a  woman. 

85 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

'Ho,  my  children,'  said  this  old  woman,  'give  ye 
weapons  to  my  grandson,  who  may  yet  prove 
himself  a  warrior.  See,  I  have  made  for  him  a 
war-bonnet.' 

"Then  one  ran  quickly  and  brought  a  bow  and 
arrows.  So  another  fetched  a  coup-stick,  and 
yet  again  one  came  bringing  a  war-shirt. 

'  'So,  here  is  your  armament,  great  war-chief. 
Go  ye  forth  and  slay  our  enemies,'  said  the 
people. 

"Therefore  Iktomi  took  the  vapor  bath  and 
purified  himself.  He  danced  the  circle-dance 
and  shot  the  wolf-image.  In  the  following 
morning  he  went  forth,  walking  a  long  way. 
After  a  time  he  came  to  a  stream  where  there 
were  a  number  of  trees.  'These  are  my  sol- 
diers,' said  Iktomi.  Therefore  he  addressed 
them.  He  boasted  greatly.  'Behold  your  war- 
chief,'  he  said.  'When  have  I  run  from  the 
enemy?  Only  this  winter  I  have  slain  a  white 
rabbit!' 

"Now  the  badger  and  the  coyote  and  the  skunk 
were  sitting  in  the  tall  grass.  They  laughed. 

'  'Ho-he — ho-he!'  they  said.  'Hear  ye;  this 
warrior  has  slain  Mastinska,  the  white  rabbit.' 

"Iktomi  supposed  that  these  people  were  the 
trees  speaking  highly  of  his  deeds.  He  became 
violent  and  shouted  with  a  loud  voice.  He 
walked  treading  heavily  and  displayed  his  war- 
shirt  to  the  trees.  He  flourished  his  coup-stick. 

86 


THE     EAGLES     PROVIDE 

'Last   year/    he    cried,   'I    counted   coup    upon 
Itunkasan,   the    weasel  —  two   coups   upon    the 

grasshopper ' 

'  'Hopidansni!  Wonderful!'  exclaimed  the 
coyote,  the  badger  and  the  skunk;  'he  has 
counted  a  coup  upon  the  weasel  and  the  grass- 
hopper!' 

'  'Only  last  year,'  shouted  Iktomi,  'I — I — I  saw 
a  buffalo  bull!'  He  looked  about  fearfully  to  see 
if  any  buffaloes  were  near. 

'  'Hun-hun-he!'  cried  the  voices,  'he  saw  a  live 
bull.'  Hearing  his  words  thus  repeated,  Iktomi 
became  very  boastful  indeed.  He  made  a  long 
speech,  bragging  greatly. 

"Presently  the  coyote  said  to  the  skunk:  'Hiwo, 
my  friend,  go  forward  now  and  lie  down  upon 
the  grass.  Iktomi  will  come  forward  to  count  a 
coup.' 

'  'Do  ye  thus,-  this  one  time,'  urged  the 
badger. 

"So  the  skunk  went  forward  and  stretched  him- 
self and  Iktomi,  seeing  him  lie  thus,  supposed 
that  he  was  dead.  He  rushed  forward  very 
courageously.  He  struck  with  the  coup-stick 
and  the  skunk  arose  and  threw  a  vapor  upon  him. 

"Iktomi  ran  homeward,  crying,  'I  have  struck 
the  enemy!'  He  ran  crying  thus  to  the  village 
of  the  old  woman.  The  people  rushed  forth. 
'Behold,  I  have  struck  the  enemy!'  whooped 
Iktomi.  The  people  came  near. 

87 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

'  'He-he-he!'  they  cried;  'Iktomi  has  struck 
the  enemy!'  and  they  ran  away,  holding  their 
noses.  That  is  all." 

Zintkala  laughed.  "Younger  brother,"  she 
said,  "you  indeed  dream  strange  things." 

"At  any  rate,"  declared  Etapa,  "my  grand- 
father has  told  me  of  this." 

Thus  for  a  time  the  two  enjoyed  their  new- 
found liberty  and  the  undisturbed  use  of  their 
mother  tongue.  Just  before  dark  Zintkala  held 
up  a  pair  of  rough  moccasins  she  had  finished. 
"See,  brother,"  she  said,  "they  are  for  you.  I 
know,  however,  they  are  very  awkwardly  done, 
for  I  had  no  try-pieces  nor  cutting-board." 

Etapa  accepted  the  gift,  as  younger  brothers 
are  wont  to  do,  without  comment. 

This  night,  remembering  the  terrors  of  the 
night  before,  they  had  supplied  themselves  with 
a  goodly  heap  of  fire-wood.  The  flicker  of  the 
fire  was  better  than  no  light,  although  their  little 
blaze  but  emphasized  the  intensity  of  the  dark- 
ness which  shut  them  in. 

For  a  time,  after  they  had  eaten  the  last  of 
their  fish,  they  sat  close  to  their  fire,  talking  in 
low  tones  and  shutting  fears  of  Unk-te-hi  out  of 
their  minds.  Again  the  rasping  shrieks  of  the 
swamp-owl  pierced  their  ears,  but  they  now 
recognized  the  voice  of  the  bird.  The  hollow 
night-jarring  notes  of  a  bittern  came  to  them 
from  the  far  end  of  the  grass  plat  and  the  trill- 

88 


THE     EAGLES     PROVIDE 

ing  of  numerous  frogs  began  to  be  heard.  The 
distant  howl  of  a  timber  wolf  was  welcomed,  for 
it  admonished  them  that  there  was,  somewhere 
in  the  direction  they  wished  to  go,  an  end  to  the 
swamp  water.  They  knew  that  sung-manitu 
would  not  wet  his  feet  in  cold  water  overmuch. 
Still,  with  these  friendly  sounds  and  the  light 
of  their  fire  to  cheer,  night  brought  to  them  the 
terrors  of  their  primitive  beliefs.  They  suffered 
so  much  from  their  fears  of  the  unknown  that 
they  took  turns  in  keeping  the  fire  going. 
Indeed,  who  may  guess  at  the  depths  of  suffer- 
ing within  the  soul  of  each  little  lone  watcher 
sitting  by  that  solitary  campfire?  Yet  the  com- 
posure of  each  was  effectively  stoical, 


89 


CHAPTER   IX 
THE   SPIRIT  WOODS 

The  watcher  slept  at  daylight  and  when  both 
awoke  the  sun  was  shining.  They  had  no  meat 
for  breakfast  and  the  birds  had  not  returned 
since  both  had  flown  away  together;  so  they  pre- 
pared at  once  to  leave  the  swamp  and  continue 
their  flight  southward. 

Yet,  while  they  were  tying  their  blanket  rolls, 
the  far-away  scream  of  an  eagle  was  heard,  and, 
feeling  sure  that  the  bird  was  bringing  a  fish, 
they  sat  upon  the  fallen  tree  and  watched  with 
expectant  faces. 

It  was  but  a  moment  when  the  eagle  appeared, 
again  flying  heavily  and  bearing  a  large  fish.  It 
swooped  downward  and  was  about  to  alight  upon 
its  nest  when  up  from  the  center  rose  a  creature 
with  hunched  back,  hair  standing  on  end,  and  a 
snarling  miaul  of  remonstrance. 

The  startled  fisher  dropped  its  prey  to  the 
ground  and  darted  upward,  wheeling  high  and 
screaming  angrily  at  the  intruder  upon  its  nest. 
The  bird  poised  for  an  instant  and  then,  with 
whistling  wings,  swooped  down  to  the  attack. 
The  cat  bounded  upward  with  a  fierce  snarl 
and  a  wild  sweep  of  its  paw.  Some  feathers 
were  struck  from  the  eagle's  breast  but  the  bird 

90 


THE       SPIRIT       WOODS 

passed  on,  wheeling  upward  again,  with  con- 
tinued shrill  screams. 

Suddenly  there  were  two  great  birds  poising 
above  the  angry  wildcat  which  held  its  ground, 
or  rather  the  nest,  with  bristling  back.  The  cat 
was  a  big  gray  lynx  with  pointed  ears  and  a 
wicked  spread  of  jaws.  It  had  no  mind  to  give 
up  the  comfortable  perch  it  had  chosen  for  a 
sun-warmed  nap. 

And  now  the  excited  little  Dakotas  watched  a 
combat  the  like  of  which  it  has  been  given  few 
to  see — a  strange  and  thrilling  sight,  a  beautiful 
game  of  fence  played  by  accomplished  hunters 
and  fighters  of  the  wilderness.  The  cat  upon 
the  nest,  each  bird  in  the  air,  sought  by  its  pecul- 
iar tactics  to  inflict  without  receiving  injury. 

One  after  the  other  the  poised  eagles  swooped 
down,  seeking  to  strike  the  bouncing,  spitting 
lynx.  Several  times  the  cat  leaped  upward, 
turning  cunningly  in  mid-air  and  with  an  upward 
stroke  of  one  forepaw  which,  fairly  delivered, 
would  have  finished  the  charging  bird.  And 
each  time  the  four-foot  alighted  easily  at  the 
point  from  which  it  had  jumped.  But  the  birds 
had  timed  and  calculated  too  many  flights  from 
aloft  to  be  caught  by  such  wiles. 

Suddenly,  as  the  lynx  leaped  higher  than  ever 
to  meet  its  attack,  an  eagle  flattened  its  wings, 
retarding  its  progress  the  brief  part  of  a  second, 
then  darted  on  with  lightning  speed,  and  struck 

91 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

its  talons  into  the  scalp  and  ear  of  the  vaulting 
cat,  as  the  latter  spent  its  stroke. 

Like  hurled  projectiles,  lynx  and  bird  were 
borne  over  the  edge  of  the  nest  and  shot  down- 
ward, the  cat  squalling  frightfully,  the  eagle 
beating  its  wings  and,  for  a  moment,  almost 
bearing  up  a  creature  of  several  times  its  weight. 
Bird  and  beast  had  almost  struck  the  ground 
together  when  the  eagle  loosed  its  hold  and 
again,  screaming  defiance,  soared  spirally 
aloft. 

"Ho,  igmu  hota,"  (gray  cat)  "you  are  a  cow- 
ard!" shouted  Etapa,  as  the  lynx  leaped  away 
among  the  dense  tamaracks. 

"And  you,  eagles,"  cried  the  boy,  arising  and 
looking  up  with  great  admiration,  "you  are  very 
brave.  I  have  seen  that  you  fight  well.  I  also 
consider  it  a  great  favor  that  you  have  brought 
another  fish." 

And  forthwith  he  secured  the  fish,  which  was 
quite  large  enough  to  furnish  a  good  breakfast. 
Very  gravely,  however,  the  two  considered  the 
wisdom  of  building  a  fire  now  that  the  sun  was 
shining.  It  hardly  seemed,  after  canvassing  the 
matter,  that  the  Ojibwas  had  so  long  lingered  in 
their  vicinity,  and  there  were  some  dry  sticks 
scattered  about  which  would  make  a  fire  with 
not  much  smoke. 

So,  in  a  little  time,  they  had  a  breakfast  of 
broiled  fish  smoking  hot  and,  greatly  cheered 

92 


THE      SPIRIT      WOODS 

by  this  comforting  meal,  they  took  their  bundles 
and  again  waded  into  the  swamp. 

Etapa's  keen  ears  had  taken  strict  account  of 
the  howlings  of  a  wolf  during  the  night.  Many 
times  he  had  turned  himself  facing  the  sound, 
listening  intently,  noting  the  position  of  his  fire 
and  the  mimic  tepee  as  he  stood.  Where  the 
wolf  sat  howling  was  dry  ground,  open  timber, 
and  at  no  great  distance. 

The  position  of  the  sun  appeared  a  secure 
guide,  for  the  skeleton  tops  of  the  tamaracks 
were  nowhere  thick  enough  to  wholly  cut  off  its 
light.  Their  progress  was  slow  but  certain. 
Their  course,  for  the  most  part,  led  them  through 
(a  thick  growth  of  young  trees  where  there  was 
much  stooping  and  even  crawling  over  the  bogs 
but  fortunately  very  little  water  after  half  an 
hour  or  so  of  advance.  By  this  token  they  knew 
that,  at  last,  they  were  passing  out  of  the  dismal 
swamp  which  had  both  terrorized  and  protected 
them. 

Of  a  sudden  they  came  out  upon  dry  ground 
among  tamaracks  of  thinner  growth  and  larger 
body.  Above  and  in  advance  of  these  sturdier 
trees  there  loomed  the  immense  tops  of  sky- 
scraping  evergreens,  and  in  a  moment  the  little 
voyagers  were  launched  into  the  marvelous 
spaces  and  the  stillness  of  a  forest  of  Norway 
pines. 

The  children  had  neither  seen  such  trees  nor 

93 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

heard  of  them.  They  stood  with  awe  and  great 
wonder  in  their  faces  and  their  eyes  turned 
upward,  following  to  dizzy  heights  the  lines  of 
magnificent  trunks  which  towered  eighty  or  a 
hundred  feet  before  giving  off  a  limb. 

The  ground  upon  which  these  trees  stood  was 
quite  level  in  surface  with  a  slight  rise  away 
from  the  swamp.  It  was  covered  with  a  carpet 
of  pine  needles  and  cones  and  was  bare  of  small 
growth  save  here  and  there,  where  the  midday 
sun  filtered  a  flickering  light,  there  stood  a  pen- 
cil-like growth  of  sickly  ferns  and  conifers.  The 
pale  yellow-green  foliage,  the  tall  wand-like 
stems  of  these  plants,  standing  under  a  faint 
web  of  sunlight,  frail,  spiritual,  delicate  as  the 
tracery  of  old  lace,  gave  a  fairy-world  appear- 
ance to  the  solemn  trunk-grown  spaces. 

To  the  prairie  children  this  was  indeed 
a  wonderland.  They  trod  softly,  certain  of 
stepping  upon  sacred  ground.  This  might  even 
be  the  abode  of  the  Wakan-Tanka  of  their 
mother's  people,  the  Waniyan  Tanka  of  the 
Oglalas — the  Great  Spirit  of  all  the  world. 

They  were  in  doubt  as  to  whether  they  should 
go  forward  boldly.  Such  conduct  might  be  dis- 
pleasing to  the  Maker  of  these  wonderful  trees, 
and  this  spirit  land  in  no  way  fitted  for  their  rude 
presence. 

"See,  brother,  these  little  ones,"  breathed  Zint- 
kala  softly.  She  stood  at  a  little  distance  look- 

94 


THE       SPIRIT       WOODS 

ing  upon  some  frail  baby  pines  and  she  spoke 
reverently  as  one  does  before  the  new-born 
mysteries  of  life. 

"Are  they  not  wonderful?"  she  asked. 

"Indeed,  they  are  truly  so,"  murmured  Etapa. 

For  a  time  they  forgot  all  else  save  the  mys- 
teries before  them,  and  went  forward  hesitatingly. 
Among  the  vast  aisles  of  tree  trunks  there  was 
no  sign  of  life,  no  stir  of  twig  or  leaf — there 
never  could  be  stir  of  vegetable  life  while  those 
mighty  trees  stood — and  there  was  no  breeze 
to  rustle  the  dense  foliage  of  their  far-away 
tops. 

Although  the  children  advanced  ever  so  softly 
they  were  startled  by  their  own  footfalls  which 
crackled  upon  the  forest  mast,  each  little  snap- 
ping twig  and  cone  sounding  its  report  like  the 
breaking  of  a  fire-fagot.  When  they  stood  still 
their  own  heart  throbs  oppressed  them,  strum- 
ming upon  their  ears  as  plainly  as  the  beats  of  a 
conjurer's  drum. 

Slowly,  seeing  nothing  to  alarm  or  to  stay  them 
in  this  wonder  country,  the  voyagers  gained  in 
confidence.  They  became  accustomed  to  the 
marvelous  silence,  the  awe-inspiring  shadows, 
the  frail  wood-folk,  and  they  went  forward  more 
boldly. 

But  they  walked  slowly,  their  eyes  often  lifted 
to  the  vast  heights  of  the  tree-tops.  Silently 
they  prayed  to  these  trees,  which  they  thought 

95 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

might  reach  upward  to  the  abode  of  Wakinyan, 
the  thunder  god. 

Occasionally  Etapa  stopped  to  exclaim,  "Ece 
tuwe  kakesa!"  (Who  would  believe  it!)  Then, 
startled  at  the  explosive  sounds  of  his  own 
voice,  the  lad  would  go  on  marveling.  At  this  use 
of  her  mother's  favorite  expression  of  wonder  or 
disbelief  Zintkala  would  for  the  moment  for- 
get the  presence  of  the  mysterious  woods. 
Quickly  in  imagination  she  saw  the  inside  of  a 
large  Oglala  tepee — a  tepee  always  covered  with 
the  best  of  skins,  ornamented  with  colored  fig- 
ures of  beasts  and  men  and  of  an  armored  horse- 
man, a  war-chief  and  hunter  of  his  nation — a 
tepee  whose  floor  was  strewn  with  soft  skins  and 
mattings,  whose  walls  were  hung  with  orna- 
mental work,  and  wherein  want  and  hunger  had 
seldom  entered. 

In  that  beautiful  retrospect  a  figure  moved,  a 
straight  and  always  neatly  dressed  woman — a 
woman  with  a  low,  broad  forehead,  a  wealth  of 
black  hair  and  the  whitest  teeth  and  kindest 
smile  in  all  the  Oglala  towns.  Oh,  how  the 
little  heart  longed  for  that  dear  Sioux  mother! 

With  her  lips  Zintkala  murmured  a  prayer 
to  the  tall  trees.  "O  trees,  O  you  wonderful 
ones,  help  ye  these  little  ones  to  go  safely  home- 
ward. You  that  reach  so  high,  you  may  talk 
with  Wakinyan,  ask  the  thunder  spirits  that 
they  shall  take  us  by  the  hand." 

96 


THE       SPIRIT       WOODS 

The  two  had  quite  forgotten  their  enemies, 
the  Ojibwas.  They  seemed,  indeed,  to  have 
reached  a  strange  country  far,  far  removed  from 
the  hated  Chippewa  village.  It  is  doubtful  if 
they  would  have  been  greatly  astonished  had 
they  suddenly  emerged  from  this  mysterious 
world  to  find  their  native  sage-bush  plains  and  the 
tepees  of  the  Dakotas  waiting  to  receive  them. 

Presently,  as  they  were  looking  ahead,  a  whir- 
ring brown  thing  arose  from  the  ground  and 
hurtled  like  a  whizzing  missile  into  the  high 
tree-tops.  The  thunder  of  its  wings,  a  hollow 
droning  roar  that  was  re-echoed  from  all  the 
vast  walls  of  tree  trunks,  nearly  stunned  them. 
The  bird  was  a  ruffed  grouse,  and  the  first  thing 
of  life  to  startle  them  among  the  .giant  pines.  It 
settled  upon  a  branch  but  so  high  above  their 
heads  as  to  seem  a  mere  brown  speck  upon  a  field 
of  green. 

When  their  eyes  returned  to  earth  Etapa  was 
astonished  to  see  a  cock  grouse  walking  in  his 
front  but  a  few  steps  distant,  its  ruff  and  tail 
spread  as  it  uttered  a  faint  and  warning  little 
"kroo — kroo — kroo." 

"It  is  for  us,"  said  the  boy,  and  fitting  an  arrow 
to  his  bow  he  shot  the  bird.  He  picked  it  up  in  the 
devout  belief  that  the  bird  was  a  gift  from  a 
beneficent  spirit  who  ruled  in  the  mysterious 
woods.  "Older  sister,"  he  asked,  "do  you  not 
think  that  we  should  smoke  to  these  trees?" 

97 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"I  think  that  you  should  make  a  smoke  and 
that  we  should  pray  to  them,"  replied  Zintkala. 

Etapa  hesitated,  seeing  no  dry  wood  at  hand. 
He  could  scrape  together  fallen  twigs,  but, 
though  fire  is  sacred,  there  was  the  chance  that 
it  might  displease  Wakinyan  to  burn  wood 
upon  his  silent  and  holy  ground.  He  struggled 
plainly  with  this  doubt,  so  that  Zintkala  read  the 
emotion  in  his  face. 

"Let  us  go  farther,  younger  brother,"  she 
counseled.  "If  there  be  dry  wood  it  will  be  for 
our  fire." 

When  they  came  at  last  upon  a  fallen  giant, 
with  broken  limbs  flung  far  and  wide,  they  no 
longer  doubted.  While  Zintkala  built  a  fire 
and  dressed  the  bird  Etapa  went  somewhat 
apart  and  smoked  reverently,  turning  his  pipe- 
stem  often  to  the  trees. 

Neither  of  the  voyagers  gave  further  thought 
to  the  Ojibwa — so  far  did  they  seem  removed 
from  all  things  human.  They  ate  their  bird 
gratefully,  strong  in  the  sense  of  protection  in 
this  land  of  spirit  trees. 


98 


CHAPTER   X 
ETAPA  COUNTS   A   COUP 

For  a  good  part  of  the  day  the  voyagers 
walked  among  the  gigantic  pines.  The  sun  had 
passed  its  zenith  when  they  came  suddenly  to 
the  edge  of  the  woods  and  into  the  open,  lighted 
world. 

Again  they  entered  upon  a  burned-over  tract 
of  unseen  extent.  But  this  time  the  young 
growth  stood  much  higher  than  a  man's  head.  A 
tremendous  fire  had  raged  some  years  before,  and 
a  rain  had  fallen  before  its  work  had  been  quite 
completed.  Immense  blackened  stubs  loomed 
everywhere  above  the  young  pines  and  hard- 
woods, and  the  charred  and  half-burned  trunks 
offered  continuous  obstruction  to  the  walking. 
It  was  an  uncanny  kind  of  country  where  the 
young  took  vigorous  root  upon  the  ashes  and 
among  the  half-consumed  skeletons  of  the  dead. 

The  travelers  would  gladly  have  avoided 
crossing  this  forbidding  and  difficult  piece  of 
bush  land,  but  there  was  no  way  around  for,  on 
the  outskirts,  lines  of  dead  tree  trunks  with  only 
their  tops  burned  off,  like  an  army  of  cloud- 
touching  flagstaffs,  extended  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach. 

It  was  with  a  sense  of  loss,  almost  of  desola- 

99 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

tion,  that  they  passed  out  of  the  clear  spaces  of 
the  great  trees,  but  once  within  the  burnt-wood 
jungle  they  gave  themselves  wholly  to  the  task 
of  making  their  way  across.  There  were 
tangled  thickets,  heaps  of  charred  refuse,  briar 
grown,  and  there  was  rough  ground,  and  dark 
holes  tumbled  with  dead  wood  and  debris,  to 
weary  the  body  and  depress  the  spirits.  But  the 
sky  was  cloudless  and  the  sun  their  guide  and 
again  they  heard  the  aerial  cries  of  migrating 
geese,  swans,  brant  and  cranes.  This  talk  of  the 
upper  world  served  in  a  degree  to  balance  the 
dismal  features  of  an  irksome  travel. 

It  .was  near  mid-afternoon,  and  they  were 
slowly  working  their  way  for  perhaps  the  hun- 
dredth time  over  a  raft  of  fallen  trees,  scaling 
the  obstructions  as  noiselessly  as  a  pair  of  foxes, 
when  they  came  upon  a  huge  tree  trunk,  a  fallen 
giant,  scarred  with  many  fireholes,  so  immense 
that  they  paused  to  gaze  at  this  new  wonder. 

Etapa  was  about  to  speak  when  they  heard  a 
stir  among  the  bushes  and  upheaved  tree-roots 
upon  their  right.  Some  person!  An  Ojibwa! 
With  fluttering  hearts  they  sank  to  the  ground. 
But  their  fears  were  quickly  relieved,  in  part,  for 
the  sounds  of  claws  scratching  upon  wood 
admonished  them  that  a  large  four-foot  was 
close  at  hand. 

And  quickly  thereafter    the  big  one   heaved 

itself,  scrambling  heavily,  upon  the  fallen  tree 

100 


ETAP  A.   COUNTS    A    COUP 

near  its  roots.  Peering  fearfully  from  under 
bushes,  the  children  saw  the  shaggy  hulk  of 
mato-sapa  moving  leisurely  along  the  top  of  the 
great  log.  Keeping  on  he  would  pass  almost 
within  arm's  reach  and  Zintkala  stirred  as  if 
about  to  run.  She  was  greatly  frightened,  but 
Etapa  knew  that  it  was  now  too  late  to  run  and 
he  laid  a  warning  hand  upon  her  shoulder. 

The  bear  advanced,  a  gaunt,  ragged  creature, 
with  humped  shoulders  and  swaying  head,  until 
its  sharp  snout  and  wicked  little  eyes  were 
brought  to  bear  directly  upon  the  half-hidden 
bipeds  beneath.  Doubtless  the  animal  had  been 
disturbed  by  the  slight  sounds  of  their  approach 
and,  supposing  some  small  animal  had  come  near 
its  lair,  had  mounted  the  log  to  investigate. 

The  beast  gave  a  sniff,  a  little  "  whoof! "  of 
discovery,  and  glared  down  upon  the  unhappy 
voyagers  apparently  minded  to  pounce  upon 
them  in  a  twinkling. 

Then  Etapa,  who  was  nearest  the  bear,  believ- 
ing that  his  last  moment  had  come,  was  seized 
with  a  fierce  thrill  of  emotion.  He  leaped  to  his 
feet  and  struck  the  astonished  four-foot  a  hard 
rap  with  his  bow. 

The  result  was  two  sharp  surprises.  The  bear, 
frightened  beyond  measure  by  this  strange  and 
unexpected  attack,  turned  a  back  somersault  off 
the  log  and  lunged  away  among  the  bushes, 

grunting  with  fear  and  the  pain  of  a  keen  stroke 

101 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

upon  its  snout.  Etapa,  unbelieving  that  he  could 
have  won  a  victory  so  easily,  climbed  upon  the 
log  to  see  if  truly  the  bear  had  run  away.  When 
he  realized  that  the  animal  had  wholly  fled  and 
would  not  return  to  attack,  his  fortune  seemed 
yet  quite  too  great  for  belief.  He  turned  slowly 
to  look  down  at  Zintkala. 

She  was  gazing  at  him  wonderingly  and  with 
an  understanding  of  his  emotion.  "Younger 
brother,"  she  asked  gravely,  "is  it  indeed  true 
that  you  have  struck  mato-sapa?" 

The  boy's  face  flushed.  "I  did  indeed  strike 
him  strongly  upon  the  face,"  he  said,  his  eyes 
glowing.  He  leaped  to  the  ground  and  took  the 
position  and  posture  in  which  he  had  delivered 
the  stroke.  "I  hit  mato-sapa  thus,"  he  said, 
striking  the  log  with  his  bow. 

But  Zintkala  had  both  seen  and  heard  the 
blow,  and  she  did  not  need  further  proof.  "Ho, 
young  warrior,  you  have  counted  coup  on  mato- 
sapa;  henceforth  choose  ye  a  name,"  she  said. 
And  it  may  be  safely  said  that  no  moment  of 
greater  pride  or  elation  was  ever  reached  in  the 
lives  of  the  little  voyagers. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  plains  Indian,  to 
strike  a  dead  enemy  with  the  coup-stick  or  a 
weapon  of  war  was  more  honorable  than  to  slay 
him.  For,  they  said,  if  you  are  near  enough  to 
strike  the  dead  you  must  have  advanced  within 

the  enemy's  lines  or  have  driven  him  from  his 

102 


ETAPA    COUNTS    A    COUP 

position.  You  can  shoot  and  kill  your  foe  from 
a  safe  distance  or  when  you  are  in  retreat. 

But  the  highest  honor  to  be  attained  in  a  single 
exploit  was  to  strike  a  living  enemy  and  to  hit  a 
live  bear  with  a  weapon  in  hand  was  an  event  to 
give  even  a  tried  warrior  a  new  name. 

Etapa  was  a  very  human  boy  of  eleven  years 
and,  when  the  full  significance  of  his  deed  came 
to  him  in  the  grave  words  of  his  sister,  he  gave  a 
whoop — his  war-whoop — of  elation. 

"It  is  so,"  he  cried;  "I  have  done  thus,  and 
when  the  Oglalas  are  told  of  this  they  shall  call 
me  Strikes-the-Bear." 

"Waste,  it  is  a  good  name,"  said  Zintkala. 
And,  as  an  hereditary  chief,  this  boy  had  indeed 
begun  well. 

"My  father  will  not  now  wish  to  make  of  me  a 
white  man,"  said  Etapa,  exultantly.  "He  will 
wish  me  to  go  against  the  enemy." 

As  they  plodded  on  with  high  hearts  over  the 
debris  a  thirst  came  to  dampen  their  ardor  after 
a  time.  They  had  found  no  water  since  coming 
upon  the  brush  land.  They  suffered  greatly 
before  night  came  on  but,  as  the  sun  was  about 
to  fall  behind  the  bushes,  they  came  upon  a  small 
pond  with  tracks  of  deer  and  moose  leading  to 
and  from. 

As  Etapa  had  killed  two  grouse  and  a  squirrel, 
by  the  way,  they  had  wherewith  to  serve  their 
hunger.  They  built  a  cheerful  fire  for  they  no 

103 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

longer  had  fear  of  Tall  Gun's  trailers.  They 
reasoned  that  these  had  never  taken  up  their 
tracks  after  losing  them  upon  the  stony  ground, 
and  how  could  any  one  find  them  in  this  land  of 
the  bush? 

To  the  hoot  of  the  owl,  the  jarring  of  the  bit- 
tern, the  chatter  and  gabble  and  the  far  cry  of 
incessant  migrators,  and  the  distant  mournful 
cadence  of  the  timber-wolf,  they  fell  asleep  each 
upon  a  fragrant  couch  of  young  pine  boughs. 

In  the  night,  after  their  heaped-up  fire  had 
smouldered  low,  a  bull  moose  came  to  the  pond 
to  drink.  This  ponderous  creature  stalked 
silently,  considering  his  bulk,  out  of  the  jungle 
and  had  reached  the  water's  edge  when,  prob- 
ably, the  expiring  snap  of  an  ember  exposed  a 
glow  of  firelight,  and  the  monster  gave  a  shrill 
snort  of  surprise.  Instantly  two  small  electrified 
specters  stood  upon  the  sands  and  the  moon 
looked  down  upon  three  startled  wild  things,  all, 
for  the  instant,  too  much  scared  to  take  to  flight. 

To  the  Sioux  children  that  colossal,  shadowy 
figure,  barely  outlined  against  the  shadows  of 
the  jungle,  seemed  indeed  that  of  some  under- 
water monster  arisen  from  the  lake  to  devour 
them.  Perhaps  it  was  Unk-te-hi,  from  whom 
flight  is  impossible,  or  it  might  be  I-ya,  the  giant 
whose  mouth  gapes  to  swallow  all  things. 

Their  awful  fears  were  only  relieved  by  a 
second  snort  of  the  big  bull  who,  having  thus 

104 


ETAPA    COUNTS    A    COUP 

vented  his  utter  amazement,  crashed  away 
among  the  young  trees. 

Then  these  children  of  habitual  alarms  lay 
down  and  fell  asleep  again.  Later  they  were 
several  times  partly  aroused  by  deer  which  came 
to  drink  and,  catching  sight  or  scent  of  the  sleep- 
ers, whistled  their  shrill  snorts  of  warning.  Just 
before  daylight  a  herd  of  tired  geese  settled 
upon  the  pond.  The  birds  talked  to  each  other 
in  undertones  for  a  time,  and  the  voyagers,  hav- 
ing been  awakened  by  the  beating  of  their 
wings,  listened  contentedly  to  their  low  gabble. 

When  daylight  began  to  appear  and  he  could 
no  longer  hear  their  sleepy  voices  Etapa  cau- 
tiously raised  his  head  and  took  note  of  the  new- 
comers. There  were  scores  of  them  sitting  upon 
the  sands,  with  heads  under  their  wings,  and  a 
single  watcher  riding  upon  the  rippling  surface 
of  the  pond.  Silly  creatures!  How  easily  the 
wolf  or  the  fox  could  pounce  upon  them  from 
the  cover  of  the  bushes!  But  there  is  individual 
safety  in  numbers  and  even  wary  geese,  when 
tired  from  a  long  flight,  exhibit  this  universal 
feeling. 

Etapa  uttered  just  the  slightest  hiss  of  warning 
to  Zintkala  whom  he  knew  by  intuition  rather 
than  by  evidence  to  be  awake  and  listening. 
Having  thus  put  her  on  guard  the  lad  cautiously 
shed  his  blanket  and,  with  bow  and  arrow  in 
hand,  flattened  himself  like  a  big  turtle  and 

105 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

moved  with  as  little  noise  upon  the  sands  until 
he  had  entered  the  cover  of  the  jungle. 

Amid  the  bushes  he  trailed  with  the  gliding  cau- 
tion of  a  cougar  until  he  had  approached  to  within 
ridiculously  short  arrow  range,  when  he  fitted 
one  of  the  Cree  arrows  to  his  bow  and  spitted 
two  dozing  geese  upon  a  single  shaft.  The  herd 
rose  squalling  in  late  alarm. 

When  Etapa  returned,  dragging  his  heavy 
game  along  the  sands,  Zintkala  was  putting 
sticks  upon  some  uncovered  embers. 

"Nakaes,  younger  brother,  you  that  are  a 
hunter,  you  are  very  cunning,  it  seems,"  said  the 
sister. 

Etapa  was  secretly  elated.  This  older  sister 
was  usually  a  very  quiet  and  dignified  little  per- 
son and,  like  most  Indian  maidens,  sparing  of 
compliments.  Yet  twice  now  she  had  openly 
acknowledged  his  bravery  and  skill.  He  felt  that 
she  really  depended  upon  his  sagacity  as  a 
hunter  and  acknowledged  him  as  leader  in 
meeting  the  difficulties  of  their  long  trail. 

When  they  had  first  set  out  Zintkala  had 
spoken  of  digging  edible  roots  with  a  long  stout 
knife,  and  now  the  brother  reminded  her — "You 
do  not  now  speak  of  digging  tinpsela,  older  sis- 
ter." Whereupon  the  sister  began  with  preoc- 
cupation to  take  the  skin  from  a  goose. 

The  roast  goose  flesh  was  delicious,  and  they 
ate  an  enormous  quantity.  Still  there  was  much 

106 


ETAPA    COUNTS    A    COUP 

remaining  and  this  they  half  broiled  in  thin  strips 
and  carried  with  them.  They  had  wholly  for- 
gotten their  enemies. 

Yet,  far  away,  upon  the  outskirts  of  the  burned 
tract,  a  cunning  Ojibwa  had  laboriously  climbed 
a  tall  pine.  At  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet 
he  ste^d  upon  a  limb,  an  arm  holding  to  the 
slender  tixink,  looking  out  over  a  wide  belt  of 
brush  land.  He  had  taken  his  position  at  day- 
light and  some  time  later  his  shaded  and  scan- 
ning eyes  were  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  a  thin 
and  distant  smoke  wreath  floating  upon  a  blue 
horizon. 

He,  too,  built  a  fire  upon  descending,  and, 
from  green  pine  which  he  piled  thick  upon  his 
blaze,  a  black  column  arose  higher  than  the 
tree-tops.  He  smothered  this  black  smoke, 
fanning  it  down  with  his  blanket,  and  three  times 
let  it  rise  in  a  vertical  column,  and  then  he 
kicked  the  burning  heap  apart  and  scattered  its 
embers  far  and  wide. 


107 


CHAPTER    XI 
THEY  DANCE  TO    GRANDFATHER  INYAN 

Wi,  the  sun,  had  passed  his  meridian  when  the 
little  voyagers  emerged  from  the  jungle  and 
came  again,  with  a  great  delight,  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  giant  trees — upon  the  friendly 
trunk-grown  spaces  where  there  were  no  bushes, 
briars,  nor  jagged,  hidden  stones  to  bruise  the 
feet  and  tear  the  moccasins. 

But  this  time  they  did  not  walk  through  silent 
aisles.  No  air  stirred  the  under-world,  but  its 
high  canopy  of  evergreens  was  shaken  by  a 
strong  west  wind.  The  voyagers  stopped  often 
to  gaze  at  these  mighty  swaying  tree-tops  and 
to  listen  to  the  roaring  song  of  Wakinyan  as  his 
wind  blew  among  them.  Now  and  then  a  limb, 
thickly  feathered  with  green  needles,  was  broken 
from  its  parent  stem  and  fell,  top  downward, 
floating  gently  like  the  dropping  of  a  prairie 
tumble  weed. 

Where  the  lower  spaces  were  so  still,  where 
there  was  such  a  fragrant  incense,  and  the  earth 
was  pleasant  to  the  feet,  the  children  did  not 
think  that  harm  could  come  to  them. 

When  they  found  a  little  dip  containing  good 
water  they  built  a  fire  fearlessly.  Very  sweet 
and  good  the  goose  meat  tasted  and  again  they 
ate  a  large  quantity,  all  they  had,  in  fact. 

108 


DANCE  TO   GRANDFATHER  INYAN 

About  mid-afternoon  they  came  to  a  country 
of  sand  hills,  where  the  trees  were  scattering  and 
the  sloping  sun  shone  among  them  cheerfully. 
Among  the  hillocks,  too,  they  came  upon  a  fine 
pool  of  water  with  sunny  sand  banks  and  where 
small  game  was  abundant. 

They  were  weary  with  their  long  tramp 
through  the  jungle  but  here  they  rested  quickly 
and  after  a  time  they  reveled  in  the  sands, 
enjoying  their  sunlit  warmth  and  shiny  white- 
ness. Here  they  remembered  indeed  the 
dunes  of  the  Niobrara,  where  they  had  builded 
sand  heaps  for  tepees  and  villages,  where  sticks 
thrust  in  the  ground  represented  soldiers  and 
people  and  horses — forked  sticks  were  for  the 
Scili  or  Pawnees.  And  they  had  traced  in  tiny 
finger  trenches  the  winding  courses  of  streams, 
and  with  little  punches  of  the  finger  ends  the 
cunning  and  devious  trails  of  the  men — and  the 
boys — who  had  gone  to  war. 

And  the  pony  stealing!  How  exciting  that 
had  been!  Sticks,  ringed  and  streaked  by  bark 
peelings,  and  usually  long  enough  to  bestride, 
represented  ponies.  How  elaborately  they  had 
planned  their  mimic  raids  against  the  herds  of 
mimic  hostiles,  and  how  their  own  soldiers 
always  came  riding  home  in  triumph  with  many 
horses  which  they  generally  gave  away  to  poor 
people!  And  sometimes,  too,  these  warriors 
bore  upon  poles  some  curiously-tied  tufts  of 

109 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

prairie  grass,  which  represented  the  scalps  of  the 
Hohe,  the  Scili,  or  of  white  men,  and  there  was 
triumph  and  dancing  indeed. 

For  is  it  not  patriotic  and  glorious  to  slay  the 
enemies  of  one's  own  nation,  those  who  would 
wrest  from  a  people  not  only  their  lives  but  their 
homes  and  their  hunting  grounds — who  would 
wipe  them  off  the  face  of  the  earth?  And  do 
not  the  children  of  everybody's  dear  native  land 
march  under  banners,  with  uplifted  eyes  and 
devout  faces,  singing  the  songs  of  victory;  and 
are  the  tomahawk  and  the  scalping  knife  less  mer- 
ciful than  the  bayonet  and  the  exploding  shell? 

The  little  voyagers  were  daughter  and  son  of 
a  patriotic  soldier  and  a  patriotic  mother,  chil- 
dren of  a  federation  which  for  centuries  con- 
trolled a  magnificent  empire  of  territory,  whose 
men,  aye,  and  whose  women,  have  fought  for 
every  inch  of  its  ground  with  a  heroism  and 
despair  never  exceeded  in  the  annals  of  history. 

But  this  is  a  digression  from  a  simple  story  of 
the  wanderings  of  Zintkala-Zi  and  Etapa.  The 
little  maiden  did  not  long  forget  the  needs  of 
the  moment  which  were  patching  and  moccasin- 
making.  Her  coarse  cloth  skirt  was  torn  and 
needed  repairs  and  her  moccasins  and  leggins 
were  much  the  worse  for  wear.  So  her  parfleche 
was  again  emptied  of  its  .contents  and  her  jacket 
of  open  sleeves  was  spread  upon  her  lap  to  be 
darned.  Etapa's  buckskin  capote  and  string- 
no 


DANCE   TO   GRANDFATHER   INYAN 

wound  leggins  had  thus  far  suffered  but  little, 
save  that  they  had  to  be  rubbed  dry  and  soft 
after  their  wettings. 

While  she  worked  Etapa  set  his  wiles  to  cap- 
ture a  pair  of  red  squirrels  which  presently 
appeared — wrong-end-up — barking  from  the  near 
tree  trunks.  The  Indian  boy  disdained  to  use  a 
bow  and  arrow  upon  creatures  so  small  and  of 
such  temerity,  for  he  had  already  sufficiently 
proved  himself  a  hunter.  He  therefore  sought 
to  distract  the  small,  saucy  animals  with  strange 
maneuvers,  to  fill  them  with  still  greater  excite- 
ment and,  when  he  had  succeeded,  left  his 
blanket  hanging  upon  the  bush  where  he  had 
played  his  antics  and  stole  away  behind  its  shel- 
ter. He  thus  wormed  himself  silently  away  till 
he  had  gained  the  cover  of  a  hillock  when  he 
stole  softly  around  behind  the  oak  tree  trunk 
where,  only  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  the  little 
up-ended  fellows  were  "sqwukking"  themselves 
hoarse. 

With  an  owl-like  swoop  of  his  capote  the  lad 
actually  swept  one  of  the  squirrels  off  its  perch 
but,  in  falling,  the  nimble  creature  evaded  his 
quick  pounce  and  so  escaped.  He  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  catching  either  squirrel  although  he 
chased  them  to  another  tree.  There  were  hun- 
dreds of  wild  pigeons  in  these  woods.  Several 
of  these  birds  and  a  grouse  he  killed  in  skirting 
the  little  lake. 

ill 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

In  one  of  these  short  excursions  the  boy  came 
upon  a  venerable  gray  boulder  which  stood  as 
high  as  the  surrounding  trees  and  was  many 
steps  in  circumference  at  its  base.  Except 
where  the  moose  had  eaten  them  off  this  tower- 
ing rock  was  thickly  grown  with  lichens  which 
gave  it  a  hoary  appearance  of  great  age. 

Etapa  stood  for  some  minutes,  his  eyes  cast 
upward,  venerating  this  aged  and  eternally- 
enduring  one  which  knows  not  time,  seasons  nor 
change.  Then  the  boy  went  softly  back  to  Zint- 
kala.  "Come,"  he  said,  "I  have  found  Grand- 
father Inyan — the  very  aged  one.  Let  us  smoke 
and  pray  to  him." 

So  they  went  together  softly  among  the 
sand  hillocks  until  they  confronted  Grandfather 
Inyan.  While  Etapa  prepared  his  pipe  and  wil- 
low bark  for  smoking,  Zintkala  stood — as  a 
small  devotee  before  a  shrine — looking  devoutly 
up  at  the  everlasting  one,  the  vast  sentinel  and 
guide  set  so  mysteriously  among  the  trees. 

"It  is  taku-wakan,"  (something  wonderful),  she 
said.  While  Etapa  smoked,  offering  incense  to 
the  rock,  sky  and  trees,  she  prayed  thus: 

"Behold  us,  small  ones,  O  Grandfather  Inyan. 
You  are  doubtless  very  old  and  wise,  therefore 
you,  O  Grandfather  Inyan,  and  ye  trees,  assist 
us  greatly  that  we  may  find  our  way  home- 
ward." 

Fire  is  sacred  to  Inyan,  therefore  under  the 
112 


DANCE  TO   GRANDFATHER   INYAN 

shadow  of  the  great  rock  they  built  one  of  dry 
sticks  and  gathered  a  heap  of  fagots  to  keep  the 
blaze  going  until  far  into  the  night.  Then  alter- 
nately they  returned  to  the  pond  and  bathed  and 
purified  their  bodies,  for,  they  said,  "We  will 
make  a  feast  and  dance  to  Grandfather  Inyan, 
and  so  he  shall  help  us." 

After  they  had  eaten  they  combed  their  hair, 
greasing  it  with  pieces  of  goose  fat  which  Zint- 
kala  had  saved,  and  then  braided  and  tied  their 
tresses  becomingly. 

After  a  reasonable  time,  by  the  light  of  the 
fire  they  had  built  to  him,  they  gave  a  sacred 
dance  to  Grandfather  Inyan  and  his  protecting 
pines.  Upon  a  little  plat  of  level  ground,  facing 
a  broad  scarp  of  the  rock  and  embowered  in 
dark-topped  evergreens,  these  little  brown  chil- 
dren danced. 

The  girl  with  close  drawn  blanket,  with  rapt 
face  and  serious  air,  performed  her  part  in 
measured  dainty  movements,  dancing  with  her 
toes  turned  inward. 

The  boy,  with  less  grace  but  no  less  reverent 
face,  sprang  lightly  from  foot  to  foot  chanting 
low  ejaculations  of  prayer. 

Had  the  rock  and  the  trees,  sheltering  their 
small  circle  of  light  and  their  brown  swaying 
figures,  possessed  the  ears,  hearts  and  powers 
attributed  to  them,  they  must  have  moved  even 
their  roots  to  respond  to  the  appeals  for  pity 

113 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

which  these  lost  and  revering  waifs  addressed  to 
them. 

When  they  had  danced  until  they  were  weary 
they  stretched  themselves  tightly  rolled  in  their 
blankets  upon  the  sands  and,  with  renewed  trust 
in  the  future,  fell  asleep. 


114- 


CHAPTER  XII 
FLIGHT 

Again  a  balmy  spring  morning  with  no  stir  of 
wind  and  the  woods  silent  save  for  the  scream  of 
a  jay  or  the  chirruping  of  pine-inhabiting  birds. 

It  was  nearly  sunrise  when  the  voyagers 
crawled  out  of  their  blankets.  After  the  first 
buoyant  breath  they  remembered  that  the  plenti- 
ful pigeons  had  flown  away  at  sunset  of  the 
evening  before  and,  in  their  feast  to  Grandfather 
Inyan,  they  had  eaten  all  the  birds  they  had. 

There  was  nothing  to  regret,  but  they  were  so 
hungry  and  there  were  no  birds  in  sight.  There 
were  red  squirrels  in  these  woods  and,  though 
they  were  very  small,  a  number  of  them  would 
make  a  suitable  meal — and  so  Etapa  strung  his 
bow  to  hunt  for  them. 

"Hoye,  sister,"  he  said,  "if  any  birds  arrive  at 
these  trees,  cry  out  to  me  and  I  will  come  to 
shoot  them." 

He  was  about  to  go  after  the  squirrels  when 
he  saw  in  Zintkala's  face  the  dawning  sense  of 
fear  and  uneasiness  which,  for  no  apparent 
cause,  he  himself  was  beginning  to  feel.  When 
he  finished  speech  he  failed  to  move  in  the  direc- 
tion he  had  intended.  Both  children  stood  in 
listening  attitude. 

115 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

At  first  they  looked  away  from  each  other  as 
though  to  search  for  the  game  which  Etapa 
would  kill.  Far  away  and  from  some  distant 
lake  they  heard  the  quavering  cry  of  a  loon. 
Deep  within  the  woods  a  bluejay  shrieked, 
repeating  a  trio  of  screams  several  times. 

What  was  it  suddenly  chilled  the  blood  in  their 
veins?  Not  the  cry  of  the  loon  nor  the  whirring 
call  of  a  crane,  dropping  from  the  sky,  neither 
the  frantic  shriek  of  the  bluejay. 

No,  it  was  a  stirring  of  the  sixth  sense  of  the 
wilderness  child — the  sense  of  long-range  per- 
sonal contact  whereby  the  magnetic  force  of  one 
being  is  acted  upon — at  surprising  distances — by 
the  electric  aura  of  another.  Given  an  undis- 
turbed environment,  a  perfect  condition  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  "untutored  savage"  will 
infallibly  discover — long  before  it  is  due  to 
appear  —  the  approach  of  a  hostile  or  of  a 
friendly  presence. 

The  enemy!  Coming — coming — coming — this 
was  the  message,  borne  upon  the  still  morning 
air,  which  reached  the  consciousness  of  the  little 
voyagers  and  froze  them  in  their  tracks.  They 
only  waited  to  make  certain  of  the  impinging  of 
a  hostile  force  and  they  seized  upon  their  bun- 
dles of  effects  and  fled,  as  certain  of  pursuit  as 
the  deer  which  flees  a  baying  hound. 

They  ran  as  they  had  never  run  before,  a 
breathless,  skimming,  dodging  flight,  throwing 

116 


FLIGHT 

tree  trunks,  hillocks,  bushes  behind  them, 
instinctively  and  unerringly  as  the  partridge  flies 
to  foil  the  gunner's  aim. 

They  heard  presently,  too,  and  with  scarcely 
quickened  pulse,  the  baffled  and  unguarded 
whoop  which  announced  the  discovery  of  their 
abandoned  camp  and  their  sudden  flight  there- 
from— though  the  Indian's  yells  might  have  been 
intended  as  a  signal  and  thus  the  enemy  would 
arrive  in  force  upon  their  trail. 

On — on — on  they  fled.  Reaching  hard,  even 
ground,  among  the  tall  pines  again,  they  turned 
at  a  right-angle  to  their  former  course  and  ran 
toward  the  east,  the  direction  which  they  might 
least  be  expected  to  take. 

The  eyes  of  an  eagle,  the  nose  of  a  fox,  these 
alone  could  have  followed  their  tracks  at  the 
pace  they  took.  In  that  brief,  tense  moment 
before  their  flight  the  attitude  of  all  things  was 
changed  for  them.  No  bird,  beast,  tree  or  rock 
now  offered  them  its  protection;  there  was 
another  sky  and  another  earth,  and  the  face  of 
Wakinyan  himself  was  turned  from  them. 

They  glimpsed  furtively  the  spaces  in  front  as 
they  sped — each  tree,  each  bush,  each  rock  was 
suspected  of  hiding  an  enemy  in  wait.  The 
aisles  of  the  tall  pines  were  gloomy  and  threaten- 
ing spaces,  embittering  the  frightened  souls, 
withholding  the  atmosphere  of  protection,  giv- 
ing sweeping  views  to  the  hidden  foe.  With 

117 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

a  sense  of  desolation  in  the  heart,  each  throb- 
bing, panting  little  creature  fled,  seeking  any 
fate  whatsoever,  save  a  return  to  slave  cap- 
tivity— on — on — on — scudding  like  the  hunted 
hare. 

The  sun  rose  high  above  the  tops  even  of  the 
tallest  pines  and  found  them  running  with  scarce 
abated  speed.  Noon  came — the  weary  legs  still 
carried  them  forward,  going  now  at  the  swing- 
ing trot  which  the  hunted  man  or  the  chased 
wolf  finds  best  adapted  to  a  lengthened  run. 

Now  and  then  they  halted  at  some  pool  or 
running  brook  to  quench  a  raging  thirst.  They 
only  stopped  running  when  the  stout  boy,  not 
the  slender  girl,  dropped  and  from  sheer  fatigue 
could  not  regain  his  feet. 

For  eight  hours  or  more  they  had  run  to  the 
eastward,  a  good  part  of  the  way  over  ground 
clear  of  undergrowth,  through  a  vast  forest  of 
white  and  Norway  pines.  The  distance  they 
had  covered  without  food  would  seem  incredible 
to  any  who  have  not  actual  knowledge  of  the 
Indian's  powers  of  endurance.  A  strong  adult 
would  have  made  sixty  miles  in  such  a  run,  and 
with  less  fatigue;  and  it  is  hazarding  nothing  of 
truth  to  say  that  Etapa  had  fallen  finally  at 
forty  miles  or  more  from  their  morning's  camp. 

The  voyagers  could  go  no  farther.  They  lay 
upon  their  blankets  and  slept  the  sleep  of 
exhaustion.  The  chill  night  air  alone  awoke 

118 


FLIGHT 

them.  Zintkala  was  first  to  open  her  eyes  upon 
the  blank  darkness  of  the  pine  forest.  The  woods 
were  still,  with  the  silence  which  can  be  felt. 

Suffering  with  hunger,  but  more  from  fright, 
the  little  girl  drew  her  blanket  close  about  her 
head  and  sjioulders,  that  she  might  shut  out  the 
black  vacant  space  and  its  terrors.  Thus  she 
sat  for  a  long  time  with  suppressed  breathing,  a 
shapeless  little  bunch  which  the  keenest  eye  of  a 
night  prowler  might  have  passed  unnoticed. 

Then  Etapa  awoke  and  stirred,  shivering  with 
cold. 

"Tanke!"  He  spoke  in  a  scared  whisper.  The 
"big  sister"  heard  as  in  a  dream  and  gave  no 
answer.  "Tanke!" — this  time  aloud  and  with 
affright. 

"I  am  here,"  Zintkala  answered  simply,  in  a 
voice  muffled  in  the  folds  of  her  blanket.  The 
boy's  terror,  but  not  his  whole  misery,  abated. 

"I  want  something  to  eat,"  he  pleaded.  "I  am 
hungry.  I  suffer  very  much." 

He  was  again  the  "little  brother"  appealing  to 
the  wise,  older  sister  for  succor.  Somewhere 
within  her  parfleche,  which  she  had  clung  to  in 
her  long  flight,  Tanke  (older  sister  or  big  sister) 
should  have  preserved  some  pieces  of  all  the 
birds  they  had  cooked.  His  tone  implied  as 
much,  and  the  sister's  heart  smote  her  for 
improvidence,  but  she  answered  in  the  same  far- 
away, indifferent  tones: 

119 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"I  have  nothing — there  is  nothing  until  Wi 
gives  his  light.  Thereafter  I  shall  dig  some 
roots,  presently." 

Then  for  the  first  time  since  the  night  of  their 
capture  Etapa  wept.  "I  want  my  mother,"  he 
said,  and  cried  bitterly  for  a  long  time.  The  sis- 
ter sat  in  silence,  while  the  hitherto  stout- 
hearted boy,  lost  within  the  vast  wilderness,  a 
thousand  miles  from  his  own  Oglala  village, 
bone-weary,  shivering,  half-starved  and  desper- 
ate, gave  way  to  his  grief. 

At  length,  out  of  fear,  Zintkala  spoke.  She 
hitched  herself  toward  the  weeper  and  laid  her 
face  against  his. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  murmured,  "do  not 
cry  thus  loudly.  Heretofore  you  have  not  wept, 
and  now  I  fear  some  wicked  wolves  may  come 
to  devour  us." 

This  admonition  checked  the  boy's  crying 
aloud.  His  head  fell  forward  upon  his  sister's 
lap,  and  he  sobbed  himself  asleep  while  she 
warmed  his  shoulders  with  her  blanket. 

The  -little  girl  felt  worn  and  old — oh,  so  old! 
All  her  muscles  were  stiff  and  sore  and,  in  the 
miseries  of  hunger  and  the  ache  of  bones,  she 
forgot  her  terrors  of  the  unknown  and  so  kept  a 
weary  vigil  until  daylight  came. 

Gaunt,  hollow  of  cheek  and  hollow  of  eye  and 
limping  painfully,  the  little  voyagers  took  up 
their  march  so  soon  as  they  could  see  among  the 

120 


FLIGHT 

dim  aisles  of  the  trees.  They  were  still  within 
the  depths  of  a  great  pine  forest — the  greatest 
of  all  the  northland.  They  traveled  now — in 
such  fashion  as  they  could — toward  the  south, 
again  finding  their  course  from  the  source  whence 
the  sun's  light  came. 

Deep  draughts  of  cold  water,  at  the  first  pool 
they  came  to,  revived  their  lagging  vitality  for  a 
time,  and  they  pressed  on  more  eagerly,  looking 
for  squirrels  or  grouse  or  even  some  small  birds 
to  shoot,  or  perchance  to  discover  the  dead  top 
of  some  edible  root. 

But  they  looked  in  vain.  They  had  penetrated 
into  the  heart  of  a  forest  lacking  in  insect  and 
vegetable  life,  and  therefore  shunned  of  the  life 
which  preys  upon  life.  There  was  only  growth- 
room  for  the  sky-scraping  trees.  The  children 
in  this  desperate  strait  gathered  and  chewed, 
occasionally,  bits  of  resin  and  the  seed  scales  of 
the  pine  cone.  These  served,  in  a  small  measure, 
to  appease  the  incessant  gnaw  of  hunger. 

After  several  hours  of  walking,  however, 
hunger  so  asserted  itself  that  they  might  even 
have  surrendered  themselves  to  'Lizbet's  clutches 
for  a  mouthful  of  meat.  If  by  going  in  that  direc- 
tion they  could  have  been  assured  of  finally  get- 
ting out  of  these  gloomy  pine  woods  and  into  the 
land  of  game  again,  they  would  readily  have 
traveled  toward  Tall  Gun's  village.  Not  know- 
ing, they  kept  on  toward  the  south  or  as  nearly 

121 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

so  as  occasional  glimpses  of  the  shifting  sun  would 
permit.  They  ceased  to  look  for  game  or  roots, 
but  stumbled  on  with  ears  open  for  signs  of  life 
in  some  outer  world.  But  neither  whistle  of 
wing  nor  honk  of  goose  fell  out  of  the  still  sky. 

At  midday,  both  exhausted,  they  fell  upon  the 
ground  and  slept  again.  Thus  they  were 
enabled  to  rest  for  two  or  three  hours,  forget- 
ting the  pangs  of  hunger.  And  again  they 
plodded  on  and  in  a  little  time  were  overjoyed 
to  discover  the  glimmer  of  a  lake  in  their  front. 
But  they  were  astonished  and  further  disheart- 
ened, in  coming  upon  its  rocky  shore  line,  to  see 
no  signs  of  life — just  a  placid  deep  blue  sheet  of 
water  hemmed  with  interminable  lines  of  cloud- 
touching  trees.  A  pair  of  loons  were  finally 
sighted,  the  sun  glimmering  upon  their  flapping 
wings  far  out  in  the  center  of  the  lake. 

Although  they  scrambled  wearily  among  the 
rocks  to  look  down  into  deep  waters,  there  were 
no  fish  to  be  seen.  The  only  animal  they  found 
upon  this  lakeshore  was  a  huge  turtle,  upon  a 
flat  stone,  getting  the  sun's  heat  upon  its  back, 
and  which  craned  its  neck  in  amazement  at  the 
unwonted  noise  of  their  approach. 

This  edible  creature  they  might  easily  have 
secured  and,  wij:h  the  aid  of  knife  and  hatchet, 
have  gained  an  abundant  supply  of  food.  But 
it  did  not  occur  to  them  to  kill  it,  for  the  turtle 

was  the  taboo  of  their  gens  and  they  would  no 

122 


FLIGHT 

sooner  have  eaten  of  its  flesh  than  of  their 
own. 

They  passed  hopelessly  around  this  desert  lake 
and  again  were  about  to  drop  from  exhaustion 
when  they  came  upon  a  tiny  inlet.  In  the  shal- 
low water  of  this  brook  they  saw  some  small, 
sickly-looking  fish. 

Instantly,  with  all  faculties  alert,  the  voyagers 
set  their  cunning  to  match  that  of  the  finny  ones. 
They  could  only  get  these  little  fish  by  a  strategic 
surround.  To  this  end  they  shed  moccasins  and 
leggins,  and  prepared  to  sacrifice  their  blankets 
to  a  wetting. 

Zintkala  went  above  to  get  securely  around 
the  fish,  while  Etapa  stopped  in  the  brook  below. 
The  boy  weighted  two  corners  of  his  blanket 
with  stones  and  also  laid  some  small  weights 
about  the  center  so  that  one-half  or  more  of  its 
surface  was  submerged,  and  the  whole  quite 
blocked  the  brook's  narrow  channel. 

Thus  prepared  he  awaited  eagerly  the  move- 
ments of  his  sister.  Zintkala  also  tied  stones  in 
the  corners  of  her  blanket.  Holding  this  before 
her  so  as  to  sweep  the  bed  of  the  creek  she 
walked  slowly  and  cautiously  down  the  stream. 
Soon  the  little  fishes,  six  or  seven  of  them,  were 
fairly  cornered  between  improvised  drag-nets. 
A  sudden  easy  swoop  of  the  boy's  fish  trap  cap- 
tured four  of  the  finny  ones,  and  the  others 
escaped  in  a  swift  flight  into  the  lake. 

123 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

These  thin,  small  fish,  half-roasted  on  a 
smokeless  blaze  of  dry  twigs,  were  barely  suffi- 
cient to  stay  the  keenest  pangs  of  hunger,  and 
Etapa  was  too  nearly  exhausted — he  shivered 
miserably  from  his  wetting  in  the  brook — to 
attempt  further  travel,  fishing  or  hunting. 

Something,  in  the  bones  perhaps,  told  them 
they  must,  at  all  hazards,  rest  by  a  warm  fire 
until  another  morning.  A  huge  dead  pine, 
uprooted  by  a  wind,  lay  across  the  brook.  To 
this  they  repaired  and  made  a  camp.  Zintkala 
regarded  her  shivering  brother  furtively  and 
with  solicitude.  She  built  a  hot  fire  against  the 
log  and  bade  him  sit  close  to  the  blaze  while 
she  staked  their  blankets  on  either  hand  to  dry. 

This  was  quite  a  reckless  proceeding  in  view 
of  the  persistent  chase  of  Tall  Gun's  Ojibwas, 
but  the  pinch  of  hunger,  cold  or  illness  shuts  out 
other  considerations.  Zintkala  knew  that  if 
the  Ojibwa  possessed  the  skill  and  patience  they 
had  shown  as  far  as  the  camp  in  the  sand  hills, 
nothing  now  could  save  herself  and  Etapa  from 
capture.  If  they  had,  as  was  equally  probable, 
given  over  the  chase  upon  discovering  the  wary 
flight  from  that  camp,  there  could  be  no  neces- 
sity for  extreme  caution.  The  voyagers  had 
done  their  utmost  to  foil  and  to  outrun  the 
Raratonwan,  and  the  evil  spirit  had  prevailed 
thus  far.  It  remained  to  see  what  might  yet 
happen. 

124 


FLIGHT 

Etapa  slept  for  a  time,  while  the  blankets  were 
drying.  He  awoke  hollow-cheeked  and  heavy 
of  eye.  "Why  do  you  not  sleep?"  he  asked. 

"The  wicked  wolves  might  come,"  the  sister 
suggested,  "and — and  the  fire  will  keep  those 
evil  ones  away." 

"Then  I  shall  keep  the  fire.  I  have  enough 
sleep,"  he  said.  "I  am  not  any  more  hungry." 

This  was  a  bad  sign,  and  Zintkala  looked  at 
the  brother  uneasily.  But  she  had  nothing  to 
oppose  to  his  suggestion,  and  so  wrapped  herself 
in  her  blanket. 

When  she  awoke  the  sun  had  arisen,  and  she 
found  Etapa,  with  a  strange  flush  upon  his 
face,  stumbling  along  the  brook  toward  the 
lake.  She  called  after  him  to  know  what  he 
would  do  and,  as  he  did  not  answer,  she  hurried 
on  to  inquire.  It  seemed  that  he  wished  to 
find  some  fish  for  her  breakfast.  He  was  not 
hungry,  he  said,  but  older  sister  must  be  very 
much  in  want  of  food. 

"Come,"  said  Zintkala,  "I  will  do  without 
food.  Let  us  go  on  quickly  to  some  open 
country." 

The  brother  yielded  without  remark  and 
again  they  took  up  their  journey.  Etapa  dis- 
claimed hunger,  but  he  had  a  strange  feeling  at 
the  pit  of  his  stomach  whch  caused  him  to  draw 
in  his  belt  until  he  resembled  some  giant,  ambling 
insect. 

125 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

It  was  mid-forenoon  when  the  plodding  and 
nearly  lifeless  children  came  at  last  out  of  the 
lifeless  woods.  Suddenly  they  emerged  into 
a  world  of  plenty,  upon  the  shores  of  a  great 
lake  so  wide  as  to  reach  to  a  far,  unbroken 
horizon.  This  lake  was  flecked  with  herds  of 
water-fowl.  There  was  a  wall  of  sand  and  a  wide 
sand  beach  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  along 
the  shore  line. 

The  woods  were  small  and  again  there  were 
wild  pigeons,  grouse  and  squirrels  in  abundance. 
But  all  this  life  now  mocked  at  the  Dakota  boy, 
for  when  he  had  succeeded  in  stringing  his  bow 
he  had  not  strength  to  bend  it  for  a  shot.  He 
made  several  unsuccessful  efforts,  and  then 
looked  at  his  sister  with  a  drawn  and  pitiful  face. 

"Rest,  brother,"  she  said.  "Lie  upon  these 
sands  and  I  will  go  to  dig  some  roots."  She 
drank  a  great  deal  of  cold  water  and  then  took 
her  knife  and  went  into  the  woods.  She  could 
shoot  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  but  not  well 
enough  to  hit  birds  unless  they  were  very  close 
indeed.  So  she  betook  herself  to  the  resort  of  a 
hungry  Indian  woman,  who  will  find  roots  and 
berries  where  all  others  fail  to  find  them. 

"I  must  look  also  for  medicine  roots,"  said  Zint- 
kala  to  herself,  thus  compelled  to  admit  that 
Etapa  was  ill  or  about  to  become  so.  She  found 
the  dead  leaves  and  stems  of  many  plants 
strange  to  her;  but  when  she  dug  and  tasted 

126 


FLIGHT 

them  they  seemed  neither  medicine  nor  good  to 
eat. 

After  a  time,  however,  in  a  well  shaded  spot 
among  some  young,  hardwood  trees,  she  found 
the  dry  foliage  of  some  plants  which  she  recog- 
nized as  belonging  to  a  delicious  kind  of  root 
which  the  Ojibwa  had  dug  during  her  march 
with  them  in  autumn. 

The  plants  were  ginseng,  and  Zintkala  used 
her  knife  eagerly  in  uprooting  them.  She  found 
quite  a  quantity,  and  they  were  waste-s'te — good, 
good.  She  scraped  the  earth  from  several  large 
pieces  of  root  and  ate  them  ravenously.  Any- 
thing which  tasted  good  could  not  fail  to  allay 
the  fearful  gnaw  of  hunger. 

She  thrilled  with  the  thought  that  these  roots 
might  make  a  good  medicine  for  Etapa,  and  so 
she  passed  out  of  the  woods  onto  the  beach  to 
make  haste  in  getting  back  to  him.  As  she 
walked  over  a  slope  of  gravel  and  loose  stones 
her  eyes  fell  upon  a  heap  of  freshly  opened  clam 
shells,  and  near  at  hand  she  saw  tracks  of  mato- 
sapa  upon  the  sands.  So  the  bear  had  found 
many  clams.  These  were  not  much  eaten  by 
her  people,  but  she  knew  that  hungry  folk  some- 
times ate  great  quantities  of  them  raw. 

So  she  dropped  her  roots,  stripped  her  feet, 
and  waded  among  the  stones  to  explore.  Clams, 
and  big  ones,  were  indeed  plentiful  and  she  had 
no  difficulty  in  securing  all  she  wished. 

127 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Then,  without  waiting  to  clothe  her  feet,  her 
eye  sought  the  line  of  beach  until  it  fell  upon  a 
little  gray  object  lying  in  the  sunshine  under  a 
wall  of  sand.  Making  certain  that  Etapa  slept, 
she  seated  herself  and,  cracking  the  shells  of 
clams  between  two  stones,  devoured  the  tough 
but  edible  mollusks  until  she  had,  as  nearly  as 
she  dared,  appeased  her  hunger.  Doubtless  no 
epicure  of  modern  days  ever  tickled  his  palate 
with  "Little  Necks"  of  a  more  delicious  flavor. 
They  were  fat  clams  of  the  full-fed  sort  found  in 
lakes  which  abound  in  vegetable  and  animal 
life. 

Etapa  was  sleeping  heavily  when  Zintkala 
reached  him  and  she  did  not  wake  him  at  once, 
for  she  wished  him  to  rest  and  then  to  have 
some  clams,  roasting  hot.  So  she  made  a  fire 
and,  while  the  clams  were  baking,  she  built  a 
"sweat  house"  by  digging  a  pit  with  a  draft, 
lighting  a  fire  within  and  piling  some  large 
stones  upon  the  burning  wood. 

Then  she  awoke  Etapa  and  put  roast  clams, 
nicely  opened  with  her  knife,  before  him.  But 
his  hunger  had  gone.  He  ate  one  or  two  of  the 
brown  lumps  because  she  urged  him.  But  his 
face  was  burning,  his  eyes  shone  with  a  strange 
light,  and  he  complained  of  pains  in  his  head 
and  side. 

So,  when  the  stones  in  the  pit  were  sufficiently 
heated,  the  sister  laid  poles  on  them  and  made 

128 


FLIGHT 

the  boy  sit  over  them  while  she  folded  parfleche 
and  blankets  about  him  and  piled  sand  upon  the 
edges  so  as  to  retain  the  heat. 

The  Dakotas,  like  other  people,  are  divided 
upon  social  and  religious  customs  and  practices. 
A  class,  nearly  always  those  of  larger  natural 
abilities,  have  little  or  no  faith  in  their  conjurers 
and  medicine-men.  Many  diseases  are  known 
to  them,  in  a  way,  and  they  go  about  curing 
them  with  such  genuine  remedies  as  nature 
provides.  Zintkala's  people — on  both  sides — 
were  of  this  sort.  The  cures  which  they  had 
faith  in  were  largely  of  the  well  directed  powers, 
sweating,  herbs,  dieting  and  many  simple  and 
universal  remedies. 

Therefore  Zintkala  did  not  wish  for  a  wakan- 
wicasa  (medicine-man)  to  treat  her  brother  with 
his  drummings,  his  chantings  and  his  mum- 
meries. The  little  doctress  gave  her  patient  a 
thorough  sweating,  then  raked  away  the  ashes 
of  her  cooking  fire  and  made  him  lie  upon  the 
heated  sands  rolled  tightly  in  blankets. 

Then,  tired  though  she  was,  she  selected  a 
shelving,  sunny  bank  against  the  lake  wall  of 
sand  and  proceeded  to  build  a  wickiup.  Against 
the  scarp  of  the  wall  she  began  operations,  dig- 
ging away  the  slope  with  a  clam  shell  to  make  a 
level  spot,  yet  pulling  down  dry  sand  finally  for 
her  floor.  Then  she  took  Etapa's  hatchet  and 
attacked  some  young  growth  near  at  hand. 

129 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

She  drove  two  crotched  stakes  and  laid  a  pole 
upon  them  parallel  with  the  top  of  the  bank, 
laying  sticks  thickly  across  from  this  pole  and 
again  slanting  from  the  pole  to  the  ground 
beneath.  A  cross  pole  and  more  sticks  inclosed 
an  end  of  the  structure  and  the  other  was  left 
open  for  entrance  and  exit.  The  roof  of  this 
framework  she  covered  thickly  with  young  pine 
boughs,  thatching  them  cunningly  with  vines  and 
strips  of  tough  bark. 

By  the  time  the  energetic  little  maiden  had 
her  roof  finished  night  was  coming  on.  So  she 
built  a  swift  fire  of  dry  leaves  and  sticks  upon 
the  floor  of  her  wickiup  until  the  sands  were 
heated.  Then  she  raked  out  the  embers,  awoke 
Etapa,  half  dragged  and  half  persuaded  the 
stupor-ridden  lad  inside  and  put  him  to  bed  with 
a  parfleche  drawn  over  his  feet  and  another 
about  his  shoulders. 

Fortunately  for  this  small  nurse  and  her  plans, 
spring  comes  quickly  in  the  northland.  The 
weather  had  come  on  warm;  buds  were  swelling 
upon  the  trees;  bluebirds,  thrushes  and  other 
warblers  sang  joyously,  with  promise  of  summer, 
among  the  small  woods.  And  the  sun  sank  in  a 
great  red  glory  beneath  the  waters  of  the  lake. 


130 


CHAPTER    XIII 
THE   LITTLE   NURSE 

Zintkala  built  a  large  fire  at  the  opening  of 
her  wickiup.  She  dragged  a  number  of  dry 
limbs  in  place  and  chopped  them  into  fagots, 
for  the  air  was  yet  chill  after  nightfall  and  she 
wished  to  keep  a  fire  going  until  morning. 

It  was  after  midnight,  and  Etapa  was  yet 
breathing  heavily,  when  the  little  nurse  com- 
posed herself  to  sleep  with  only  a  parfleche  cover- 
ing for  her  shoulders.  She  slept  until  the  sun 
was  shining  when  Etapa  in  delirium  awoke  her 
with  his  mutterings.  She  knew  that  he  wan- 
dered in  mind,  for  he  said  things  which  were 
witko  (foolish  and  incoherent). 

She  rebuilded  her  fire  and  sat  near  her  patient 
with  a  great  fear  in  her  heart.  With  an  almost 
fierce  insistence,  however,  the  little  girl  shut  out 
of  her  mind  a  thought  of  the  end  which  might 
come  to  such  illness.  Such  fevers  were  frequent 
among  the  Indians,  but  with  the  violent  sort 
they  were  ill-prepared  to  contend.  So,  despite 
her  brave  spirit,  the  sister  listened  with  a 
pinched  face  and  heavy  heart  to  the  brother's 
mutterings  and  watched  his  restless  tossing,  well 
understanding  how  powerless  she  was  to  do  for 

131 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

him.  After  a  dark  hour  of  despair,  Etapa  again 
fell  into  a  deep  sleep. 

Then  his  nurse  aroused  to  action.  She  ate  a 
hasty  breakfast  of  baked  clams,  then  very  care- 
fully passed  some  thongs  around  the  boy's 
ankles  and  tied  them  so  that  he  might  not  get 
up  and  run  off  in  one  of  his  witko  moments. 
Then  she  took  her  knife  and  his  hatchet  and 
went  to  the  woods.  Diligently  she  searched  for 
the  roots  and  herbs  known  to  use  in  her 
mother's  family.  There  was  as  yet  no  green 
vegetation,  and  her  search  was  tedious  in  the 
extreme,  compelling  her  to  dig  much  under  the 
dry  leaves  and  stems  of  such  weeds  and  wood 
plants  as  the  melting  snows  or  the  wild  creatures 
had  left  undisturbed. 

At  last  she  chanced  upon  a  bed  of  mandrakes, 
and  her  face  lighted  with  a  great  joy.  Ah,  this 
was  indeed  was*te-ste  (very,  very  good)!  She 
dug  many  of  the  roots.  With  these  and  some 
freshly  peeled  bark  of  the  wild  cherry  she 
returned  to  her  wickiup. 

She  looked  in  upon  her  patient  with  anxiety. 
He  was  sitting  up  with  fevered  face,  sullenly  try- 
ing to  untie  the  thongs  about  his  feet.  She 
assisted  him  and,  after  walking  about  upon  the 
sands  with  unsteady  legs  for  a  moment,  he  came 
back  to  his  couch  and  turned  his  face  to  the 
bank. 

Zintkala  now  took  her  basin  and   two  extra 

132 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

large  clamshells  and  shaved  into  these  receptacles 
small  bits  of  the  root  and  bark  she  had  gath- 
ered. She  longed  for  some  of  the  bitter  sage 
leaves  from  her  mother's  bundle  of  dried  herbs. 
But  there  was  no  sage  bush  in  all  this  northland, 
and  so  she  did  what  she  could  with  what  she  had. 

She  set  her  dishes,  filled  with  water,  upon 
some  stones  which  she  had  placed  to  heat  upon 
the  embers  of  her  fire.  She  knew  the  roots  and 
bark  must  not  be  freely  boiled  and  arranged  her 
dishes  so  as  to  keep  the  water  gently  simmering. 
She  now  fished  for  clams,  and  it  was  a  long  time 
after  she  had  roasted  some  mollusks  and  eaten 
them  before  her  teas  were  bitter  enough  for 
medicine. 

Etapa  would  not  eat  although  she  urged  him, 
hoping  to  thus  prove  to  herself  that  his  illness 
was  not  a  serious  matter.  She  was  encouraged 
that  he  did  not  get  violent  and  beyond  her  con- 
trol. In  one  of  his  rational  moments,  after  a 
time,  she  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  drink,  with 
a  wry  face,  a  basin  of  mandrake  tea.  After  this 
he  again  fell  into  a  stupor  of  sleep. 

Zintkala  kept  her  brews  going,  setting  away 
in  shelter  clamshells  filled  with  bitter  teas  until 
she  had  enough  to  last  for  hours.  Then,  know- 
ing that  her  patient  was  too  weak  to  wander  off, 
she  went  to  look  for  food.  She  was  tired  of  the 
tough  clams. 

In  a  little  exploring  expedition  she  discovered 

133 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

a  marsh  bayou  where  many  large  fish  were  to  be 
seen  feeding  among  the  reeds  in  shallow  water. 
Ehe-ho!  Here  was  good  meat  in  plenty.  She 
affixed  her  long  knife  to  a  pole  and  went  spear- 
ing. After  some  adventures,  and  several  hard 
struggles,  she  succeeded  in  killing  two  large  cat- 
fish and  lugged  them  to  her  wickiup  in  triumph. 
Her  elation  in  this  exploit  would  have  been  very 
great  but  for  the  anxious  heart  she  bore. 

Oddly  enough,  it  was  but  a  little  time  after 
she  had  dressed  these  fish  and  hung  the  meat 
upon  curing  sticks  that  she  found  three  unsus- 
pected fishhooks  in  her  own  roll  of  belongings. 
The  hooks  were  concealed  within  a  bundle 
of  colored  threads  and  pieces  of  trader's 
twine  which  she  undid  to  further  her  mending. 
This  was  great  good  fortune,  for  she  was  an 
expert  fisher  and  the  possession  of  these  cun- 
ning little  weapons  settled  the  question  of  food 
supply  where  there  were  fish  to  be  caught. 

She  had  thought  some  of  hunting  with  Etapa's 
bow,  but  the  Cree  arrows  would  every  one  be 
needed  when  they  should  take  up  their  journey 
homeward. 

Most  of  that  day  she  sat  upon  the  sands  in 
the  sunshine  mending  clothes,  leggins  and  moc- 
casins. Rents  in  her  jeep  (skirt)  she  darned  by 
sewing  in  soft  pieces  of  buckskin,  ornamenting 
them  with  stitches  of  red  and  blue  packthreads. 
This  occupation  was  varied  with  brief  visits  to 

134 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

the  invalid,  who  was  several  times  induced  to 
drink  of  her  bitter  teas.  All  day  the  boy  lay, 
burning  with  fever,  taking  no  nourishment  but 
water  and  the  bitter  drinks. 

Upon  the  sister  there  settled  at  length  that 
strange  aloofness  and  preoccupation  which  seizes 
upon  the  Indian,  as  a  defense  against  the  ravages 
of  emotion,  in  times  of  suffering  and  grief. 

Zintkala  spent  a  busy  day.  Among  other 
work  she  finished  thatching  her  wickiup,  which 
thus  became  a  prominent  feature  of  the  immedi- 
ate beach,  an  oval  hummock  setting  its  vivid 
green  against  the  sand  wall.  She  went  about 
all  these  duties  with  the  intent  air  of  a  small 
housekeeper. 

Now  and  then,  however,  her  eyes  strayed,  as 
she  sat,  seeking  the  calm  and  placid  blue  waters 
of  the  lake  where  the  sun  beat  warmly,  and  a  light 
glimmer  of  radiation  arose  in  which,  as  in  some 
far-removed  ethereal  world,  there  floated  great 
white  swans  and  pelicans  amid  armies  of  smaller 
water-fowl.  There  sang  in  her  ears  also  in  gen- 
tle undertones  a  murmur  of  puddling  and  quack- 
ing, which  seemed  to  come  from  a  far  country,  a 
drowsy  dreamland,  where  people  moved  with 
slow  reluctance  and  yawned  and  stretched  and 
flapped  their  wings  protestingly. 

Across  this  placid  mirage  country  the  little 
maid  looked  in  vain  for  sight  or  sign  of  land. 
The  sheen  of  misty  water,  with  its  herds  of 

135 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

birds  vanishing  to  mere  specks  in  the  distance, 
seemed  illimitable,  and  she  wondered  indeed  if 
here  were  not  the  end  of  the  earth  at  that  dis- 
tant sunset  sea  which  she  had  heard  of  among 
her  people. 

At  night,  however,  this  illusion  was  dispelled. 
After  the  sun  had  set  redly,  falling  into  the 
water,  clouds  obscured  the  stars,  and,  as  darkness 
came  on,  a  red  sky  light  appeared  across  the 
lake,  a  cloud  glow  which  her  vision — associated 
with  many  prairie  fires — could  not  mistake. 
The  red  sky  meant  a  forest  fire  across  the  water. 
Woods  were  burning  there,  and  the  lake  was  not 
as  wide  as  it  had  appeared.  And  there  were 
people  over  there,  too.  As  night  advanced  the 
dash  of  scarlet  upon  the  clouds  became  a  broad 
band,  and  its  ruby  light  was  reflected  upon  the 
ripples  of  the  lake  until  beach  and  shore  line 
were  visible  as  by  moonlight. 

Zintkala  was  not  sleepy.  She  sat  in  the 
opening  of  her  wickiup  for  a  long  time  looking 
out  upon  the  wonder  world  of  fire-lit  night  and 
with  the  fascination  of  a  child  of  whatsoever 
complexion.  The  now  dancing  ripples,  the 
white  birds  and  the  dark  ones  with  the  fire's 
glow  upon  them,  the  far-seen  herds  of  fowl 
moving  in  a  red  dusk  like  war-parties  of  horse- 
men going  upon  a  level  plain  to  strike  their 
enemies,  all  the  curiously  peopled  water-world, 
held  her  imagination. 

136 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

It  was  not  a  still  world,  neither  of  woods  nor 
lake.  Out  of  the  sky  came  now  and  then  the 
reed-like  piercing  laugh  of  the  loon,  the  bugle 
note  of  the  arctic  going  swan,  the  harsh  squawk 
of  the  night  heron,  and,  from  the  tree-tops  near 
at  hand,  two  owls  mocked  at  the  puddling  ducks 
which  presently  they  intended  to  pounce  upon. 

Once,  startlingly  close,  a  crackling  of  bushes 
caught  the  watcher's  ear  and  brought  her  heart 
fluttering  into  her  throat.  At  last  the  Ojibwa! 
But  no,  a  dark  hulk  moving  upon  four  legs  came 
out  upon  the  sands  and  she  understood  that 
mato-sapa  had  come  to  his  clam  fishery.  She 
shrank  within  the  door  of  her  tepee  and  peered 
fearfully  forth. 

The  king  of  the  woods,  it  appeared,  was  not 
hungry.  He  simply  wallowed  in  shallow  water, 
rolling  himself  about  like  an  agency  pig,  and 
then  shuffled  away  into  his  bushes.  Once  only 
he  lifted  his  head  and  stood  at  gaze,  appearing 
to  be  mildly  interested  in  her  domicile  against 
the  sand  wall. 

Once  Etapa  spoke  asking  for  water  and  again 
after  she  had  given  him  a  drink  and  fallen 
asleep,  he  awoke  her  with  the  persistent  cry. 
He  drank  more  greedily  than  before.  Lacking 
desire  to  sleep,  Zintkala  again  sat  in  the  open- 
ing of  the  wickiup.  And  while  she  looked  out 
over  the  water  and  upon  the  red  sky,  lo,  a  won- 
der happened.  It  began  with  forked  lightning 

137 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

which  paled  the  fire's  glow  and  then  a  far-off 
deep  mutter  shook  the  earth,  announcing  the 
approach  of  the  thunder  birds.  These  vast  and 
powerful  creatures  came  nearer  and  ate  up  the 
fire  in  the  sky.  They  played  upon  the  water 
with  their  brilliant  forked  tongues,  and  the 
waves  began  to  lash  the  rocks  and  sands  and  the 
wind  to  roar  in  the  trees,  and,  in  the  crackling 
tumult  of  their  wings  and  the  blinding  light  of 
the  bolts  they  shot,  terror  seized  upon  the  little 
brown  girl.  She  forgot  her  patient  and  cowered, 
her  head  wrapped  in  a  parfleche,  in  the  dark- 
est corner  of  her  wickiup. 

Though  the  rain  fell  in  bucketfuls,  and  the 
waves  rolled  high,  and  the  wind  howled  the 
wicked  song  of  Unk-te-hi,  no  harm  came  to  the 
little  voyagers  who,  so  well  was  the  wickiup 
lodged  and  thatched,  were  not  even  wetted. 

In  the  morning  Etapa  was  at  the  height  of  his 
fever.  He  raged  and  tossed  and  muttered 
strange  things.  He  was  quite  out  of  his  head. 
The  little  nurse  went  about  with  compressed 
lips.  She  cooked  several  pieces  of  fish.  "He 
will  be  very  hungry  this  morning,"  she  said. 
She  set  a  basin  of  the  broiled  catfish  at  the  side 
of  his  couch,  and  then  went  out  and  ate  her 
morning  meal,  sitting  with  her  back  to  the 
wickiup.  When  she  had  finished  she  went  in 
and  took  away  the  basin,  pretending  that  Etapa 
had  eaten  most  of  the  fish.  She  threw  the  con- 

138 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

tents  of  the  dish  among  the  bushes,  saying  to 
some  birds  that  they  could  have  what  was  left. 
Then  she  set  about  brewing  bitter  teas  again. 
This  herb  drink  she  gave  to  the  sufferer  in  large 
doses  when  he  cried  out  for  water,  and  at  mid- 
day he  again  fell  into  a  heavy  sleep. 

The  day  was  very  warm  and  pleasant.  Many 
large  flocks  of  water-fowl  left  the  lake  and  flew 
northward,  honking  and  squalling  with  much 
uproar  and  fuss. 

Seeing  that  Etapa  was  not  likely  to  awake 
soon,  his  nurse  cut  a  slender  pole  and  with  hook 
and  line  and  some  fresh  clams  went  fishing  at 
the  bayou.  The  big  pike  and  pickerel  snapped 
at  her  tempting  baits  so  greedily  that  they 
almost  frightened  her,  and  she  returned  with  as 
many  as  she  could  carry. 

When  she  came  to  the  heap  of  clamshells  she 
left  two  of  her  fish  upon  the  stones.  "They  are 
for  you,  O  mato-sapa,"  she  said,  turning  toward 
the  bushes  and  addressing  the  bear  quite  as 
though  the  animal  were  facing  her.  "Perhaps 
you  will  see  that  my  heart  is  good,  and  thus  you 
will  not  enter  my  tepee." 

The  Indian  child  speaks  always  the  language 
of  its  elders,  and,  if  it  be  not  stupid  or  lacking  in 
brain  quality,  will,  at  eight  or  ten  years,  have 
attained  a  vocabulary  capable  of  more  effective 
speech  than  the  average  child  of  similar  age 
among  English-speaking  people. 

139 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

At  ten  Zintkala  had  been  accomplished  in 
her  own  tongue;  in  five  months  at  a  missionary 
school  she  had  learned  enough  of  English  to 
converse  with  her  teachers  about  ordinary  mat- 
ters, and  six  months'  tutelage  among  the  Ojibwa, 
in  a  tongue  differing  as  widely  from  her  own  as 
Latin  from  Hindustani,  she  had  learned  to 
speak  Chippewa  readily. 

When  she  again  turned  toward  the  wickiup 
Etapa  was  outside  staggering  and  stumbling, 
making  a  half-crazed  effort  to  reach  the  water. 
She  ran  to  him  in  a  great  fright,  for  she  thought 
that  now  he  was  surely  witko  and  about  to 
become  violent.  Partly  carrying,  and  partly 
forcing  him  to  walk,  she  got  him  back  to  his 
couch  and  supplied  his  wants  with  bitter  drinks. 

On  the  whole,  she  was  glad — not  knowing  that 
the  fever  gave  him  strength — that  he  was  able 
to  stand  on  his  feet.  When,  after  more  drink, 
he  fell  into  another  sleep,  she  became  quite 
cheerful. 

The  afternoon  was  really  hot,  and  the  water 
around  the  edges  of  the  lake  had  lost  its  winter 
chill.  Zintkala  shed  her  Ojibwa  dress  and, 
stripped  to  the  breech-clout,  a  little  brown  water 
fairy,  puddled  and  swam  in  the  lake  with  as 
much  apparent  ease  and  enjoyment  as  the  ducks. 

Afterward  she  played  upon  the  beach  as  she 
had  done  among  her  native  sand  hills,  building 
conical  tepees,  setting  up  medicine  poles  and 

140 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

small  twigs  for  people,  rigging  mimic  ponies 
with  mimic  travois  poles  and  loading  them  with 
mimic  swaddled  babies  and  camp  effects. 

For  a  time  she  seemed  to  be  at  home  again 
on  the  Smoky  River.  In  her  ears  there  hummed 
sweetest  music,  low-voiced  talk  of  women  gossip- 
ing in  front  of  their  tepees,  the  sounds  of  mortar 
and  pestle,  ^the  whinny ;.  of  ponies  and  bark  of 
dogs,  cries  which  greet  the  return  of  the  hunt- 
ing party,  and  shouts  of  young  men  playing  the 
haka  game. 

Thus  she  was  pleasantly  absorbed  until  awak- 
ened to  bitter  reality  by  Etapa's  cry  for  water. 
She  ran  to  obey  the  call  and,  when  she  saw  his 
face,  deep  fear  and  depression  again  took  pos- 
session of  her. 

That  night  Zintkala  hardly  slept,  and  for 
three  days  thereafter  Etapa  required  her  con- 
stant care,  giving  her  only  snatches  of  rest.  The 
patient  was  violent  at  times,  and  it  required  all 
her  strength  to  keep  him  within  the  wickiup. 

During  this  time  she  ate  only  the  fish  which 
she  had  partly  cured  and  preserved,  and  made 
but  one  excursion  to  the  woods  after  roots  and 
cherry  bark  for  her  brews.  On  this  occasion  she 
had  the  good  fortune  to  kill  a  rabbit,  which  she 
hit  with  a  stone.  This  game  she  dressed  and 
hung  near  the  fire  to  make  soup  for  Etapa. 
Some  of  this,  very  weak,  she  gave  him  when  he 
craved  water.  Some  of  the  meat,  too,  she  had 

141 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

on  hand,  with  bitter  cherry  bark,  when  the  fever 
left  him. 

This  happened  on  the  sixth  morning  of  his  ill- 
ness. 

When,  upon  awakening  from  a  better  sleep 
than  she  had  had  in  several  days,  the  little  nurse 
no  longer  heard  her  patient's  heavy  breathing, 
but  saw  an  emaciated  figure  with  face  turned 
away,  with  blanket  unmoved  where  she  had  last 
tucked  it  around  his  feet,  she  caught  her  breath 
with  a  little  gasp  and  ran  outside,  not  daring  to 
look  at  the  features  of  that  still  one. 

Distrait  and  wild-eyed,  she  wandered  for  a 
time.  She  gazed  far  across  the  lake  where  the 
fire  had  burned  and  where,  upon  the  horizon 
line,  a  mere  speck,  she  had  one  day  seen  a  canoe 
pass.  There  were  people,  there  was  a  village 
over  there,  and  she  almost  made  herself  believe 
that  she  ought  at  once  to  go  around  the  lake  and 
find  these  folk.  Maybe  their  medicine-man,  like 
Ghost  Moccasin  of  Tall  Gun's  village,  was  a  very 
great  wonder-worker.  Perhaps  such  a  wonder- 
ful one  would  come  and  cure  Etapa. 

She  raced  away  from  the  specter  in  her  mind. 
She  hastened  to  the  pool  of  the  bayou  to  see  if 
there  were  indeed  fish  swimming  there.  Once 
there  she  noted  that  a  pair  of  ducks  flew  out  of 
the  rushes  upon  the  opposite  edge,  and  she 
thought  that  she  must  now  hunt  along  the  reedy 
banks  of  this  stream  for  the  eggs  of  magaksica. 

142 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

Duck's  eggs  were  delicious,  yet  she  felt  no 
hunger  for  them. 

She  turned  her  attention  to  the  great  white 
herds  of  pelicans  upon  the  lake.  All  the  wild 
geese  and  many  of  the  droves  of  ducks  had  van- 
ished, but  it  did  not  occur  to  her  to  wonder 
where  they  had  gone.  She  kept  her  eyes  upon 
the  immense  white  birds  with  big  red  pouches 
under  their  bills.  She  thought  that  she  should 
have  one  of  those  pouches.  They  were  very 
convenient.  She  had  heard  that  the  birds  carried 
fish  in  them. 

Yet  something  kept  saying  to  her  that  she 
must  go  back  to  the  wickiup — go  back — go 
back — go  back. 

She  hurried  along  the  beach;  her  little  feet 
stumbled  among  the  stones;  her  breath,  now 
suppressed,  again  came  and  went  in  spasmodic 
gasps;  a  strange  misty  world  danced  in  her  eyes; 
a  tattoo  of  drums  throbbed  in  her  ears. 

She  approached  the  wickiup  with  halting  steps 
and  wavering  eyes;  her  small  round  face  was 
pinched  and  bloodless,  white  as  one  of  the  dead. 
Some  compelling  force  drew  her  to  the  opening. 
She  peered  inside.  Ah,  waste-ste!  The  sick  one 
had  moved — his  thin  face  was  turned  partly 
toward  her! 

She  bent  over  him  with  all  her  soul  in  her 
face.  One  look  and  her  energies  and  faculties 
returned  in  a  single  throb.  She  flew  outside, 

143 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

uncovered  the  embers  of  her  fire,  snatched  her 
basin  and  ran  for  water.  A  large  leg  of  the  rab- 
bit! This  she  had  saved  for  a  nourishing  broth. 
Ah,  Etapa  must  very  quickly  take  some  of  her 
soup.  He  would  like  it;  he  would  drink  it 
eagerly  perhaps.  He  must  now  be  very  hun- 
gry— they  were  always  so.  All  her  energies 
were  concentrated  upon  the  cooking  of  that 
broth,  with  nursing  it  with  just  enough  of  fire. 
She  had  a  bit  of  salt  and  that  she  put  in  to  make 
it  very  good  indeed. 

In  a  brief  time  she  was  bending  above  her 
scarcely  breathing  patient,  clamshell  spoon  and 
dish  in  hand,  and  when  the  weak  boy  made  a 
little  strangling  noise  in  his  throat  she  almost 
laughed.  When  she  saw  that  he  had  really 
swallowed  two  mouthfuls  of  broth,  and  that  his 
hollow  eyes  had  opened  and  he  seemed  to  know 
her,  she  glowed  with  energy,  a  little  dynamo  of 
nature  to  give  to  the  weak  one  life  and  strength. 

Two  or  three  times,  within  a  little  while,  she 
succeeded  in  getting  her  patient  to  swallow 
broth,  and  then,  to  her  great  delight,  he  fell  into 
a  soft  and  natural  sleep. 

The  rabbit  soup — such  a  little  bit — would  soon 
be  gone,  and  now  to  kill  a  bird!  She  would  not 
have  hesitated  to  undertake  to  catch  one  with 
her  hands,  but  she  took  the  bow  and  two  of  the 
precious  arrows  and  sallied  into  the  woods. 

Any  kind  of  birds  would  serve  her  purpose, 

144 


THE         LITTLE         NURSE 

but  some  better  than  others.  Many  times  dur- 
ing her  vigil  she  had  heard  the  vigorous  drum- 
ming of  cock  grouse  near  at  hand.  The  thunder 
of  their  wings  had  sometimes  startled  her  as  the 
mutterings  of  Wakinyan.  But  she  had  heard 
the  bird  before,  and  she  had  seen  many  during 
her  recent  tramps.  She  now  listened  for  their 
loud  whirring  roar  as  eagerly  as  the  hawk  which 
sought  to  peer  into  the  depths  where  the  birds 
were  hidden. 

Presently,  as  she  stole  on  breathless  tiptoe 
among  some  young  trees,  there  burst  upon  her 
ears  a  thunderous  humming  which  sent  electric 
thrills  prickling  over  her  skin.  Ah,  the  bird  was 
located  with  a  glance.  Only  a  little  way  off  the 
sprangled  roots  of  a  fallen  tree  protruded  above 
some  small  growth.  Upon  that  old  dry  log,  deep 
within  the  shadows  of  evergreens,  the  cock 
pheasant  had  his  parade  ground. 

With  bated  breath,  and  motionless,  she  stood 
until  the  bumming  of  wings  began  again;  then  she 
fitted  an  arrow  to  her  bow  and  stepped,  moving 
with  infinite  caution,  toward  the  dead  tree's  roots. 
When  the  whirring  ceased,  a  statue  of  an  Indian 
girl  stood  among  the  young  pines.  Thus,  with 
the  sure  instinct  of  a  fox,  she  alternately 
approached  and  shrank  to  the  stillness  of  her 
surroundings  until,  at  last,  in  the  midst  of  an 
ecstasy  of  whizzing  vibrations,  she  crouched 
behind  the  upheaved  tree  roots. 

145 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

There  was  another  interval  of  suppressed  ani- 
mation during  which  the  huntress  heard  the 
cock's  cooing  kroo — kroo — kroo,  as  he  spread 
his  ruff  and  strutted,  displaying  his  plumage, 
while  awaiting  the  appearance  of  some  coy 
female. 

Bhum  —  bhum  —  bhm — n — d — r'r'r'r'!  Mercy, 
what  a  noise!  The  shy  little  huntress  arose, 
popping  up  like  a  jack-in-the-box,  and  aimed  an 
arrow  at  that  blinded  puff-ball  of  conceit.  At 
three  steps  even  she,  Zintkala,  could  not  miss, 
and  an  instant  later  she  ran  at  full  speed  bear- 
ing in  triumph  the  still  fluttering  bird. 

Very  likely  no  strutting  cock  of  any  sort  ever 
passed  from  dress-parade  into  a  delectable  broth 
with  greater  expedition. 


146 


CHAPTER    XIV 
GOING   TO   THE   ENEMY 

Violent  fevers  of  the  swamp  and  woods  are 
emaciating  and  usually  leave  the  system 
deranged  for  a  time.  Etapa  did  not  mend 
rapidly  and,  though  after  some  days  he  was  able 
to  walk  about,  it  was  evident  that  he  would  not 
be  stout  enough  to  travel  for  a  long  time.  He 
resembled  only  the  half-animated  framework  of 
the  stout  boy  who  had  escaped  from  the  sugar- 
camp. 

He  no  longer  spoke  of  going  homeward.  He 
seemed  content  to  be  provided  for,  to  lie  upon 
the  sands  and  watch  the  white  herds  of  pelicans. 
The  sister  saw  how  it  was,  and  she  pondered  the 
matter  gravely.  Twice  she  had  seen  an  elon- 
gated speck,  almost  upon  the  rim  of  the  sky, 
move  across  the  lake  from  a  far-off  headland. 
On  one  or  two  still,  clear  mornings,  also,  there 
were  smoke  indications  hazing  the  sky  above  a 
dimly  seen  shore  line  of  bluff  and  woods.  That 
there  was  a  large  village  in  that  direction  she 
could  have  no  doubt,  and  somehow  she  had 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  people  were  a 
peaceful  sort  of  folk,  who  lived  in  a  wonderful 
land  of  plenty  and  were  generous  to  friends  and 
strangers  alike. 

147 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

True,  these  people  might  not  feel  kindly 
toward  those  of  the  Dakota  nation,  but  it  seemed 
quite  certain  to  her  that  they  were  not  a  cruel 
folk,  on  the  lookout  to  do  others  harm,  or  they 
would  have  discovered  and  set  upon  her  little 
camp  long  since.  The  Ojibwas  of  Tall  Gun's  vil- 
lage were  almost  forgotten,  so  distant  was  their 
country  and  so  long  it  seemed  since  her  escape 
from  them. 

She  remembered  that  once  in  her  home  village 
a  young  Pawnee — a  Scili — had  thrown  himself 
upon  the  mercy  of  the  Oglalas.  He  had  been  lost, 
and  had  come  upon  their  tepees  in  a  violent  snow 
storm.  This  young  man  had  been  well  received. 
He  stayed  with  his  benefactors  many  moons, 
hunting  faithfully  for  them  during  the  buffalo 
killing  season,  and  then  returned,  unmolested,  to 
his  own  people. 

So  Zintkala  determined  to  seek  the  strangers 
across  the  lake  and  ask  for  hospitality  for 
a  season. 

She  now  used  her  buckskins — the  parfleche  and 
loose  skins — making  moccasins  and  garments 
and  in  mending.  She  had  much  colored  pack- 
thread and  some  pretty  beads  among  her  pick- 
ings, and  she  fashioned  herself  an  overskirt  of 
Sioux  pattern  which  she  ornamented  with  many 
fringes.  When  she  had  donned  this  skirt,  her 
elk-teeth  necklace  and  some  real  Dakota  leg- 
gins  and  moccasins,  she  felt  as  much  like  some 

148 


GOING     TO      THE      ENEMY 

genuine  person  as  a  Sioux  waif  might  in  that 
wilderness. 

In  these  days  of  Etapa's  slow  recovery  Zint- 
kala  took  on  new  life  and  capability.  She  was 
the  camp's  fisher  and  hunter,  and  her  larder  was 
well  supplied  with  fresh  fish  and  duck's  eggs, 
upon  which  diet,  and  a  daily  swim  in  the  lake, 
she  throve  as  a  healthy  animal.  Her  plump, 
round  face  and  snapping  black  eyes  glowed  with 
animation. 

She  did  not  after  that  one  time  see  mato-sapa, 
who,  it  seemed,  preferred  a  more  solitary  haunt. 
Yet  some  creature,  which  left  strange  tracks  upon 
the  wet  sands,  came  one  night  and  stole  fish 
which  she  had  hung  to  a  pole,  for  safe  keeping. 
Thereafter  for  a  time  she  kept  her  meat  in  the 
wickiup,  and  still  the  marauder  came  regularly, 
eating  the  fishheads  which  she  threw  upon  the 
beach  and  leaving  those  queer  tracks  all  about 
her  domicile. 

Then  she  hit  upon  the  expedient  of  carrying 
her  refuse  out  to  the  heap  of  clamshells,  and 
there  the  strange  creature  came  and  devoured 
it.  She  again  hung  a  fish  upon  the  cross-stick 
she  had  arranged,  and  that  same  night,  when  the 
moon  was  shining,  she  was  awakened  by  a  snap- 
ping sound  as  of  a  fagot  broken  across  the  knee. 
Peering  out  she  saw  a  black  creature,  about  the 
size  of  a  common  dog,  eating  her  fish. 

More  angered  than  alarmed,  she  seized  Etapa's 

149 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

bow  and  arrows  and  discharged  a  shaft  with  all 
her  might  at  the  range  of  three  or  four  paces. 
The  animal  was  hit  in  the  neck  and  sprang  high 
with  a  fierce  whistling  snarl.  It  whirled  about 
and  about  upon  the  sands,  growling  and  strik- 
ing at  the  slender  shaft  which  had  gone  through 
its  throat,  and  then,  making  curious  leaps  along 
the  beach,  disappeared  from  sight. 

On  the  following  morning  the  voyagers  found 
a  big  brown  carcajou  lying  dead  upon  the  sands 
near  the  bayou.  When  she  saw  what  a  savage 
creature  she  had  slain  Zintkala  was  almost  as 
much  frightened  as  elated.  The  body  was  so 
heavy  that  all  her  strength  was  required  to  drag 
it  to  the  wickiup.  Etapa  praised  her  skill  in 
shooting.  "How,  big  sister,"  he  said,  "that  was 
indeed  well  done.  Now  you  shall  make  me  a 
chief's  garment." 

With  what  strength  he  had,  the  boy  helped  his 
sister  to  take  off  the  carcajou's  skin.  It  was  a 
beautiful  pelt,  and  they  left  a  very  pretty  black 
bush  of  tail  pendant. 

Zintkala  at  once  set  about  fleshing  this  fine 
skin  in  readiness  for  tanning,  which  process  was 
completed  by  aid  of  wood  ashes,  fresh  brains, 
and  by  much  rubbing  with  the  hands.  The 
fur  was  long  and  thick,  of  dark  brown,  with 
two  bands  of  cinnamon  and,  when  she  had 
sewed  the  flaps  of  the  forelegs  into  sleeve- 
lets, Etapa  was  truly  furnished  with  a  "chiefs 

150 


GOING     TO     THE      ENEMY 

garment,"  which  he  wore  hanging  down  his 
back  with  the  tail  ornament  brushing  his 
heels.  And  the  Sioux  children  thought  it  a 
very  beautiful  dress.  Zintkala  was  so  struck 
with  the  wearer's  appearance — despite  his  thin 
face  and  pipe-stem  legs — that  she  immediately 
set  about  ornamenting  the  turned-down  head- 
piece and  his  moccasins  with  what  remained  of 
her  beads. 

It  was  more  than  half  a  moon  after  Etapa  had 
been  taken  with  the  fever  before  they  left  the 
invalid's  quarters  and  took  up  their  journey 
along  the  eastern  coast  of  the  lake.  In  all  this 
time  no  human  being  had  been  seen,  only  the 
far  specks  of  canoes.  There  was,  however,  the 
warm,  blossoming,  spring-inhabited  world  which 
catered  to  all  their  needs  except  the  longing  for 
home.  They  did  not  hurry  in  their  departure, 
for  Etapa  was  far  from  strong,  and  Zintkala 
carried  the  small  burden  of  their  belongings. 

The  sister  had  said  nothing  to  the  brother  of 
her  plan  of  going  to  the  strange  people.  She 
did  not  wish  to  seem  to  think  him  unwell  and 
that  he  might  not  be  able,  for  a  long  time,  to 
travel  a  great  distance.  The  length  of  the  way 
homeward  was  only  measurable  in  her  mind  by 
recollections  of  the  seasons  of  her  travels  away 
from  the  Oglala  country.  She  guessed  that  it 
would  require  two  moons  of  walking  for  them  to 
reach  their  home,  and  she  now  felt  that  they 

151 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

might  have  to  wait  until  another  melting  of  the 
snow. 

Zintkala  had  developed  physical  strength 
with  self-reliance,  and  she  carried  her  pack, 
hatchet,  basin,  bows  and  arrows,  a  leaf  or  two  of 
dried  fish,  a  bundle  of  pieces  of  skin  and  thread, 
with  lightfooted  ease. 

As  they  made  their  way  along  the  lakeshore, 
walking  wherever  they  could  upon  the  sand  and 
gravel  beaches,  Zintkala  often  said,  "Stay, 
younger  brother,  I  think  there  are  some  of  the 
sweet  roots"  (ginseng)  "in  this  wood.  I  will  go  a 
little  way  to  dig  it,"  or,  "Whi!  sunkaku!  Let 
us  have  the  eggs  of  maga-win.  I  saw  her  fly 
from  those  reeds." 

Thus,  while  the  lad  rested  without  seeming  to 
rest,  Zintkala  would  go  exploring.  Sometimes 
she  found  the  nest  of  a  goose  or  duck  upon  a 
muskrat's  conical  dwelling  among  the  rushes,  but 
the  eggs  were  no  longer  good  to  eat,  as  a  glance 
at  their  shiny  shells  easily  convinced  the  wader. 

The  children  had  grown  weary  of  seeing  the 
great  herds  of  pelicans  which  floated  at  lazy 
ease  day  and  night,  and  the  loons  and  grebe 
everywhere  specking  the  water,  but  there  had 
lately  arrived  a  myriad  of  new  birds,  piping 
creatures  of  spindle  legs  and  slender  necks,  with 
feather  dress  of  browns,  drabs,  grays  and  whites, 
which  continually  ran  upon  the  sands  or  flew 
back  and  forth  along  the  beach. 

152 


GOING      TO      THE      ENEMY 

These  birds,  of  several  varieties  new  to  them, 
excited  their  wonder  and  comment.  One  small 
variety  was  seen  in  places  in  immense  numbers. 
These  were  stupid,  nodding  little  birds  which 
settled  in  clouds  at  the  water's  edge  and  almost 
ran  under  the  voyagers'  feet. 

"Hoye,  sister,"  said  Etapa,  when  their  curiosity 
had  been  satisfied  by  observation,  "shoot  arrows 
among  these  little  birds.  Shoot  the  war-arrows, 
thus,"  and  he  showed  her  how  she  could  skip  an 
arrow  low  down  along  the  water's  edge,  without 
danger  of  losing. 

The  ruse  was  successful.  Zintkala  tried 
several  shots  before  getting  the  range  and  the 
level  well,  then  a  single  arrow  knocked  over  four 
of  the  birds,  and  afterwards  she  killed  them  at 
will.  They  found  these  small  snipes  delicious 
when  the  breasts  were  broiled,  and  Etapa  ate 
heartier  at  midday  than  he  had  done  since  fall- 
ing ill. 

There  were  many  large  turtles  and  pretty 
snakes  where  there  was  mud  and  reedy  shores, 
and  there  was  particularly  one  green  snake 
which  Zintkala  admired  greatly.  She  would 
have  liked  the  skin  of  this  one  dressed  and 
tanned  for  a  bracelet.  All  these  creatures  and 
many  more  commanded  their  interest  as  they 
sauntered  leisurely  upon  the  wave-washed  sands 
and  gravels  or  walked  along  high  or  muddy 
shores. 

153 


Toward  night  they  passed  around  a  bluff  bank 
to  descend  again  upon  a  very  wide  sand-walled 
beach.  Upon  this  broad  belt  of  shore  line,  as 
evening  came  on,  they  saw  a  number  of  deer 
come  down  to  drink,  and  once  a  cow  moose  and 
her  yellow-headed  calf  trotted  away  in  their 
front. 

As  Etapa  had  slept  a  long  time  after  the  mid- 
day meal  they  traveled  but  a  little  way  that 
afternoon.  They  camped  at  the  mouth  of  a 
sedgy  creek  where  there  were  many  ducks' 
nests,  and  here  Zintkala  secured  fresh  eggs 
enough  for  the  evening's  and  morning's  meals. 

The  second  day's  slow  travel  was  very  much  a 
repetition  of  the  first,  save  that  it  rained  a  part 
of  the  day  and  they  spent  several  hours  in  the 
shelter  of  a  cliff  of  rocks.  During  the  afternoon 
the  dim  southern  shore  line  which  they  had  seen 
very  indistinctly  from  the  wickiup  took  clear 
shape  as  a  bold  bluff  which  seemed  to  extend  far 
out  into  the  lake.  The  foot  of  this  high  land 
they  reached  before  sunset  and  camped  in  the 
shelter  of  some  bushes  under  a  rise.  Here 
there  was  a  plain  path  made  by  fishermen  and 
hunters  coming  off  the  bluff  to  the  lakeshore. 
It  was  very  evident  that  there  was  a  large  village 
near  at  hand. 

When  Etapa  saw  the  path  he  pointed  to  it 
inquiringly  but  said  nothing,  and  Zintkala  said 
nothing  that  evening.  At  sunrise  they  had 

154 


GOING      TO      THE      ENEMY 

broiled  snipe  and  a  fish  for  their  breakfast;  then 
Zintkala  set  about  making  such  toilet  as  she 
could,  having  no  colored  earths  to  paint  her 
cheeks.  She  combed  and  braided  her  hair  with 
much  care,  and,  at  the  point  of  her  elk-teeth 
necklace,  she  fastened  the  scarlet  wings  of  a  bird 
which  a  hawk  had  killed. 

Etapa  looked  on  without  comment.  He 
understood  that  they  were  to  approach  the 
strange  village.  He  was  listless  and  unable  to 
offer  serious  objections  had  it  occurred  to  him  to 
do  so.  He  donned  his  carcajou  skin  and  put  a 
feather  in  his  braid  to  denote  that  he  had  struck 
an  enemy,  and  so  made  an  end  of  his  toilet. 

Thus  arrayed,  they  went  forward  upon  the 
bluff.  As  they  were  aware  that  they  might  be 
seen  by  hunters  or  fishermen  at  any  moment, 
they  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  their  move- 
ments. They  advanced  along  a  plain  path 
traversing  an  oak  ridge  for  a  mile  or  more. 

Presently  a  droning  hum  of  sounds  announced 
that  they  were  drawing  near  to  a  very  large  vil- 
lage, and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  able  to  look 
down  upon  a  broad  open  plat,  with  patches  of 
brush  here  and  there,  upon  which  a  great  num- 
ber of  wigwams  were  newly  erected. 

From  the  temporary  appearance  of  these 
lodges  they  knew  that  they  had  come  upon  a 
summer  camp  of  woods  Indians,  pitched  upon  a 
favorite  hunting  and  fishing  ground.  The  bluffs, 

155 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

also,  far  down  their  bases,  were  fringed  with 
berry  bushes.  The  children  could  not  doubt 
that  this  was  indeed  a  land  of  abundance,  and 
the  people  moving  about  among  the  tepees  on 
the  flat  a  folk  highly  favored  by  their  manidos. 
The  village  was  pitched  near  to  the  lake  shore, 
and  they  could  see  two  or  three  canoes  moving 
across  a  bay.  On  the  beach,  where  it  showed  in 
yellow  patches  beyond  the  bush  fringes,  dark 
figures  flitted  chasing  to  and  fro.  The  strange 
people's  children  were  at  play  running  races, 
perhaps,  upon  the  sand. 

Presently,  as  they  began  descending  the  hills, 
they  heard  the  voices  of  women  among  the 
bushes  near  at  hand,  but  could  not  tell  what  was 
said.  They  thought  these  women  were  digging 
roots. 

They  did  not  draw  near  to  this  Indian  town 
without  fear.  But  they  had  once  more  accepted 
the  inevitable,  and  they  took  comfort  from  the 
appearance  of  things.  They  knew  by  shrewd 
instinct  and  observation  that  these  were  real 
Indians,  like  themselves,  people  of  the  wild  lands 
unmixed  and  unmixing  with  the  white  folk  of 
the  agencies. 

They  halted  for  a  time  upon  the  bluff  path 
within  plain  view  of  the  village.  Then,  as  no 
one  appeared  to  be  on  the  lookout  to  detect  the 
approach  of  strangers,  Zintkala  said,  "Come, 
younger  brother,  let  us  go  among  these  people." 

156 


GOING     TO     THE      ENEMY 

They  set  forward  at  once  and  soon  emerged 
from  the  bushes  upon  an  open  flat.  A  little  way 
out  from  the  nearest  wigwams  they  met  a  woman 
with  a  large  fat  baby  peeping  over  her  shoulder, 
and  this  person  uttered  a  slight  exclamation  of 
surprise. 

The  woman  indeed  stared  at  them  in  a  rather 
unmannerly  way.  Yet  she  looked  upon  an 
unusual  sight,  for  plainly  by  their  dress  the 
strangers  were  Sioux  children  and  the  foremost 
a  young  girl  of  erect  bearing,  with  an  earnest, 
intent  face  and  quite  the  air  of  a  chief's 
daughter  and  of  having  come  upon  an  impor- 
tant errand.  She  had  halted  in  the  path  in  her 
surprise,  but  she  stepped  aside  and  the  Dakotas 
passed  on  without  seeming  to  take  note  of  her. 

Some  wolf-dogs  came  from  the  near  wigwams 
and  barked,  but  these,  too,  fell  away  before 
them.  Children  ceased  to  play,  and  some  shy 
little  folk  ran  behind  shelter  to  peep  at  the  new- 
comers. Older  people,  within  and  without  the 
open  lodges,  also  glanced  '  curiously  at  the 
strangers;  for  the  most  part  these  regarded  them 
with  a  kindly  gravity  which  made  itself  felt  and 
brought  a  faint  glow  into  the  girl's  round  face. 

Zintkala  was  looking  for  the  lodge  of  the 
chief  soldier,  and  expected  to  find  some  totem  or 
decoration  to  distinguish  his  wigwam.  This  she 
searched  for  with  reason,  for  these  Indians  lived 
and  dressed  after  the  native  fashion  and  not  as 

157 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

mixed  bloods  and  agency  people.  Several  skin 
tepees  bore  flags  and  ornamental  designs,  but 
none  seemed  to  indicate  the  rank  of  its  dwellers. 

No  one  spoke  to  them,  and  Zintkala  was 
much  puzzled  and  even  distressed  to  know  to 
whom  she  might  properly  apply  for  hospitality. 
The  children  had  passed  the  center  of  the  village 
thus  looking  at  the  lodges  and  were  feeling  very 
much  embarrassed  when  an  old  man  confronted 
them. 

"Ho,  young  Dakotas,  you  are  come  a  long  dis- 
tance, it  appears,"  said  this  one.  The  man  spoke 
in  Ojibwa,  and  Zintkala  answered  hesitatingly, 
her  face  reddening  at  her  own  temerity. 

"We  are  Dakotas,  therefore  we  wish  to  speak 
to  the  head  soldier  of  this  large  town." 

With  a  gesture  the  man  bade  them  follow. 
He  walked  toward  the  lakeshore.  When  clear 
of  surrounding  wigwams  he  pointed  to  a  large 
conical  lodge  which  stood  against  a  cluster  of 
water  willows  near  to  a  gravel  beach. 

"The  man  is  there,"  said  the  old  man  simply, 
and  he  strode  away  and  left  them.  The  chil- 
dren approached  the  tall  lodge  as  hesitating 
pilgrims  approach  a  shrine.  It  was  difficult  to 
come  near  so  great  a  man  as  this  chief  must  be, 
unannounced.  Therefore,  at  some  unobtrusive 
paces,  they  halted  to  wait  for  some  sign  of 
recognition. 

They    saw    before    them — which    gave    their 

158 


GOING      TO     THE      ENEMY 

hearts  encouragement — a  big  tepee  of  buffalo 
skins  and  upon  its  front,  newly  painted,  the 
totem  of  a  blue  fish  and  an  otter.  For  some 
minutes  they  stood,  growing  more  embarrassed 
and  very  red  of  cheek. 

They  talked  together  in  low  tones  to  relieve 
their  distress  and,  while  they  stood  thus  with 
their  faces  near  together,  a  young  woman  came 
from  the  darkened  interior  of  the  lodge  and 
stood  in  front  of  its  triangular  opening.  This 
person  regarded  the  strangers  gravely  and  with 
evident  inquiry.  Zintkala  saw  the  woman,  but 
seemed  to  be  looking  straight  beyond  her,  and 
Etapa  turned  his  face  toward  the  lake  and 
shifted  the  carcajou  skin  to  a  shoulder.  They 
were  visibly  ill  at  ease. 

The  young  woman  saw  this  and  went  into 
her  tepee.  She  spoke  something  in  low  tones 
and  a  man's  voice  answered  her.  This  talking 
continued  for  a  moment,  and  a  man  came  forth 
with  a  nervous  shuffling  stride  and  approached 
the  newcomers.  He  was  a  young  man  with  a 
mop  of  hair  upon  his  shoulders  and  a  fringe 
covering  his  forehead  to  the  eyebrows.  He 
wore  no  paints.  He  had  a  striped  blanket  about 
the  shoulders,  and  his  buckskin  leggins  had 
many-colored  fringes,  and  his  moccasins  were 
beautifully  decorated  with  turquois  beads.  He 
had  a  keen  face  with  shrewd  eyes  that  seemed 
to  look  through  one. 

159 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"How,  how,  Dakotas,"  he  greeted,  reaching  a 
hand.  They  shook  hands  with  him  gladly,  the 
boy  following  the  girl. 

"We  are  the  children  of  Fire  Cloud  of  the 
Oglalas,  and  we  are  come  a  long  way,"  said  Zint- 
kala. 

"How,  I  know  that  man.  He  has  fought  my 
people  a  number  of  times,"  said  the  young  man 
grimly.  He  looked  at  them  with  a  glance  so 
searching  that  their  little  souls  shrank  within 
them.  For  an  instant  they  felt  far  removed 
from  this  strange  village  and  their  faces  were 
cold  and  lifeless. 

Zintkala  spoke  in  a  far-away  voice.  "We 
were  taken  to  the  agency  at  Traverse  des 
Sioux,"  she  said.  "We  were  to  learn  to  be  like 
white  people.  We  did  not  like  to  do  so.  When 
we  ran  away  from  those  people  the  Hohe  came 
upon  us  very  suddenly.  They  took  us  to  a  far 
country  from  whence  we  escaped,  and  one  of  us 
is  not  able  to  travel." 

The  man  regarded  her  face  keenly  again,  but 
he  asked  no  embarrassing  questions.  "Come," 
he  said,  and  led  the  way  into  his  tepee. 

"Some  Dakotas  have  escaped  from  their  ene- 
mies," he  said  to  the  woman  they  had  seen. 
"Give  them  meat."  He  seated  himself  upon  some 
skins  and  waved  his  visitors  to  some  mats  oppo- 
site. His  wife  immediately  went  out  and  put 
some  fish  in  her  kettle  and  set  it  cooking. 

1GO 


GOING     TO      THE      ENEMY 

Gravely,  but  with  no  other  sign  of  emotion,  the 
little  voyagers  took  seats,  squatting  with  legs 
decorously  crossed.  The  man  lit  his  pipe  and 
smoked.  A  small  child,  affixed  to  a  board  which 
leaned  against  a  bunk  bed,  blinked  solemnly  at 
the  strangers. 

There  were  a  number  of  guns  hung  to  the 
tepee  stakes,  also  powder  horns,  bullet  pouches, 
fishskin  ornaments,  tobacco  pouches,  pieces  of 
unfinished  work  in  braided  buckskin,  pelts  of 
otter,  mink,  sable,  white  weasel  and  other  small 
and  beautiful  animals.  And  there  were  bales  of 
blankets  and  skins  under  the  bunk,  with  saddles, 
trappings  and  various  articles  of  furniture  lying 
about.  Evidently  this  man  was  rich. 

Their  eyes  took  in  these  things  casually  as 
they  waited.  They  knew  their  host  would  not 
again  speak  to  them  until  they  had  eaten,  sup- 
posing them  to  be  too  much  exhausted  for  con- 
versation. Thus  was  maintained  the  etiquette 
of  the  lodge.  Yet  the  little  strangers,  of  impas- 
sive face,  awaited  with  no  small  anxiety  of  heart. 
They  were  glad  when  the  woman  came  in  with  a 
pleasant  countenance  and  set  a  bowl  of  cooked 
fish  before  them.  They  ate  slowly  until  satis- 
fied, and  the  woman  quietly  removed  her  turtle- 
shell  dish. 

Then  the  man  spoke. 

"I  am  Black  Otter,"  he  said,  "of  the  Awanse 
Pillagers.  My  father  was  Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe. 

161 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

He  fought  with  your  people  and  overcame  them 
at  Bear  River." 

He  spoke  simply,  without  boasting,  cleaning 
his  pipe  bowl  meanwhile  with  a  small  sharp  tool. 

Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe!  The  little  voyagers' 
faces  grew  pinched  and  cold  again,  and  their 
eyes  held  the  wavering,  far-off  expression.  For 
the  name  of  this  man's  father  was  a  hated  one 
among  the  Dakotas.  Zintkala  and  Etapa  had 
often,  too,  heard  the  old  men  speak  of  two  suns 
of  fierce  fighting  at  Bear  River,  where  the 
Raratonwan  had  wrested  from  their  nation  a 
great  hunting  ground. 

No  wonder  that  fear  gripped  their  hearts,  yet 
they  sat  motionless,  saying  nothing.  After  a 
time  their  unbidding  host  looked  at  them  ear- 
nestly and  his  words  were  good. 

"We  are  now  at  peace  with  the  Dakotas,"  he 
said.  "We  have  fought  each  other  enough 
heretofore  and  we  wish  the  Dakotas  well.  I 
shall  give  you  some  presents,  and  I  will  treat 
you  well  so  long  as  you  shall  stay  in  my  wig- 
wam." 

He  who  imagines  that  the  Indian  and  the 
Indian's  child  are  stoics,  void  of  the  ordinary 
emotions,  should  have  seen  the  young  Sioux's 
faces  light  up  and  shine  with  a  great  joy. 


162 


CHAPTER    XV 
IN   BLACK   OTTER'S   CAMP 

The  little  voyagers  had  indeed  chanced  upon 
Black  Otter's  village  at  an  opportune  moment. 
Although  they  knew  nothing  of  the  truth  at  the 
time,  less  than  a  moon  had  passed  since  Little 
Crow's  Sioux  scouts  had  visited  the  Awanse 
winter  towns,  and  had  gained  the  promise  of  this 
Chippewa  soldier  and  his  young  men  that  they 
would  soon  join  the  Dakotas  in  a  war  of  exter- 
mination to  be  waged  against  the  settlements 
and  posts  of  the  Upper  Mississippi. 

The  reception  of  Zintkala  and  Etapa  among 
these  hereditary  enemies  was,  without  doubt, 
colored  largely  by  their  recently  formed  alliance. 
These  children  were  treated  with  truly  distin- 
guished consideration,  quite  as  the  son  and 
daughter  of  a  friendly  chief  would — from  natural 
kindliness  and  motives  of  interest  as  well — have 
been  treated. 

When  the  sister  and  the  brother  had  gained 
confidence  Zintkala  told  to  Black  Otter  and 
his  wife  the  whole  story  of  their  misfortunes 
after  running  away  from  the  missionary  school, 
their  capture  by  the  Hohe,  the  "sleeps"  they  had 
traveled  with  them,  the  meeting  with  Tall  Gun's 

163 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Ojibwa  near  the  traders'  fort,  and  of  how  Tall 
Gun  had  traded  with  Gauche  (Left  Hand),  giv- 
ing two  spotted  ponies,  one  with  white  hind  legs, 
in  exchange  for  themselves;  they  were  small 
ponies  also,  but  he  had  given  the  Hone  also  a 
fine  green  blanket  and  an  ax  and  many  fishhooks 
and  beads.  She  told,  too,  how  she  had  hidden 
her  necklace  of  elk's  teeth,  and  of  the  cruelty  of 
'Lizbet,  who  had  beaten  her  because  she  had 
clung  to  the  strings.  Then  of  the  sugar-making 
and  of  the  flight,  and  how  Tall  Gun's  soldiers 
had  shot  at  them.  They  showed  the  little  white 
scars  of  the  small  shot,  and  Black  Otter  and  his 
wife  put  their  fingers  upon  the  swan-shot  under 
the  skin  of  Zintkala's  hand. 

The  young  chief  and  his  wife  were  filled  with 
interest.  Narratives  of  the  true  incidents  of 
war,  the  chase,  and  adventure  made  up  a  large 
part  of  the  interest  of  life  to  the  Indian  of  those 
days,  and  a  tale  of  escape  from  captivity  with  so 
many  incidents  of  varied  character  was  absorb- 
ingly entertaining. 

When  Zintkala  told  of  Etapa's  striking  the 
bear  the  chief  was  much  pleased.  "Hu-hu!"  he 
exclaimed,  "that  was  indeed  very  brave.  How, 
that  was  well  done,  how,  how!" 

Etapa  had  begun  to  feel  some  life  and  anima- 
tion among  these  new  friends,  and  so  he  showed 
in  his  mimic  way  how  he  had  struck  mato-sapa 
a  hard  stroke  upon  the  snout.  And  Zintkala 

164 


IN       BLACK       OTTER'S     CAMP 

came  in  for  a  share  of  commendation  when 
she  told  of  what  she  had  done  for  her  brother 
in  his  illness,  and  of  the  killing  of  the  carcajou. 
Black  Otter  and  Other  Bird,  his  wife,  much 
admired  the  carcajou's  skin  as  an  ornamental 
garment,  and  they  quite  regarded  Zintkala  as  a 
person  of  consequence,  saying  that  what  she  had 
done  was  how,  how,  very  well  done  of  a  truth. 

The  chief  said  that  he  was  very  much  disap- 
pointed in  the  Assiniboins,  who  were  his  friends, 
that  they  had  done  so  badly  in  a  time  of  truce 
among  Indians,  and  when  all  must  be  consider- 
ing what  they  should  do  to  save  their  lands  from 
the  white  men.  As  for  Tall  Gun,  he  was  not 
surprised.  The  man  was  a  distant  relative,  but 
he  had  mixed  with  white  people  and  agency 
folk,  and  had  drunk  of  their  red  waters  till  he 
was  very  nearly  as  bad  as  they  were.  Tall  Gun 
and  his  men  had  come  to  be  very  much  no-ac- 
count Indians,  and  they  were  no  longer  consid- 
ered as  true  Awanse.  Zintkala  and  Etapa  had 
done  well,  he  told  them,  to  run  away  from  such 
folk. 

Yes,  indeed,  said  Other  Bird,  she  knew  'Lizbet 
Tall  Gun  very  well,  and  she  had  always  been  a 
very  disagreeable  woman.  Twice  her  husband 
had  turned  her  out  of  his  wigwam,  and  he  would 
not  have  taken  her  back  only  she  had  many 
half-breed  relatives  around  the  posts,  and  these 
had  supported  her  in  the  quarrels.  Once,  too, 

165 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

'Lizbet  had  stolen  from  her — Other  Bird's — 
mother  a  beautiful  pair  of  moccasins  ornamented 
with  stained  porcupine's  quills  and  blue  beads. 
Certainly  that  was  very  bad  among  one's  own 
people. 

Other  Bird  quickly  became  much  attached  to 
her  young  guests.  She  took  that  vivid  interest 
in  them  as  strangers'  children  which  is  common 
to  young  mothers  the  world  over.  Zintkala's 
ability  to  talk  the  Awanse  and  thus  to  tell  of  her 
life  among  a  strange  people,  lately  become 
Ojibwa  allies,  gave  her  an  extraordinary  attrac- 
tion. 

Having  naturally  a  shrewd  turn  of  mind  and 
an  alert  intelligence,  the  young  Sioux  girl  talked 
well. 

Etapa  also  warmed  into  life  among  these 
friendly  folk.  A  dry  lodge  to  sleep  in,  a  variety 
of  nourishing  food,  and  a  new  interest  in  life, 
these  things  added  daily  to  his  strength  of  body 
and  mind.  Soon  he  was  able  to  play  with  boys 
that  came,  shyly  at  first,  to  get  a  peep  at  the 
strangers,  and  finally,  as  his  strength  improved, 
to  admire  his  feats  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  a 
weapon  which  had  fallen  into  disuse  save  as  a 
plaything  among  the  Awanse.  The  Sioux  boy 
taught  them  new  games  and  learned  to  play  at 
theirs. 

Many  older  people,  too,  took  a  lively  interest 
in  Black  Otter's  proteges,  and  they  brought 

166 


IN       BLACK      OTTER'S      CAMP 

many  small  gifts  and  listened  again  and  again  to 
Other  Bird's  account  of  their  adventures.  Zint- 
kala  soon  had  quite  a  pouchful  of  colored  beads, 
bits  of  bright  ribbon,  stained  feathers  and  the 
quills  of  porcupines,  one  of  those  bracelets  she 
had  wished  for  wrought  from  the  skin  of  a  green 
snake,  and  other  ornamental  and  useful  trinkets 
such  as  girls  delight  in. 

Other  Bird  was  delighted  that  her  guest  should 
receive  these  gifts  appropriate  to  a  chief's 
daughter.  She  herself  made  for  Zintkala  a  pair 
of  highly  ornamented  leggins  and  a  short  blue 
skirt  of  trader's  cloth. 

These  Pillagers  were  then  an  independent  and 
showy  people,  living  upon  magnificent  hunting 
and  fishing  grounds.  They  were  never  in  actual 
want  of  food  save  from  sheer  improvidence.  In 
berry  seasons  they  had  a  surfeit  and  they  dried 
and  stored  large  quantities  for  future  use. 

Though  in  ill-repute  as  material  for  the  mis- 
sionaries of  civilization  and  intractable  to  the 
cast-iron  military  discipline  of  a  U.  S.  Indian 
agency,  these  Indians  are  to  this  day  the  most 
independent  and  nearest  self-supporting  of  those 
who  cling  to  the  old  life.  It  has  been  their  for- 
tune quite  recently  to  chiefly  accentuate  the 
beginnings  of  another  "Century  of  Dishonor." 

Their  reception  and  treatment  of  the  little 
voyagers  were,  after  all,  in  keeping  with  the 
spirit  they  had  before  manifested  tov^ard  any 

167 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

who  claimed  their  aid  and  friendship.  They 
had  fought  the  Sioux  for  many  generations  and 
finally,  by  the  aid  of  firearms  furnished  by  the 
British  traders,  had  wrested  from  that  warlike 
nation  a  great  region  of  woods  and  lakes  and 
rich  prairies.  Yet,  in  the  midst  of  this  long  war,  a 
band  of  Dakotas,  driven  from  their  own  country 
by  a  tribal  feud,  and  starving  in  winter  upon  a 
fire-swept  prairie,  came  to  the  Awanse,  bringing 
the  captives  they  had  taken,  their  women  and 
children,  saying,  "We  perish  from  hunger  and 
our  enemies  seek  to  destroy  us.  Do  as  you  will 
with  us.  If  you  shall  save  us  we  will  ever  after 
remain  your  friends — if  you  slay  us  we  die  at  any 
rate." 

Immediately  the  Pillagers  took  these  poor 
people  into  their  lodges  and  fed  and  clothed 
them,  and,  when  safer  times  came,  sent  them 
back  to  their  own  country.  There  has  been  no 
quarrel  between  the  two  tribes  since.  This  is 
history  confirmed  to  the  writer  of  this  narrative 
by  aged  and  honorable  men  among  the  northern 
tribes  and  by  the  marriages  which  yet  take  place 
between  the  northern  Sioux  and  the  Chippewas. 

For  a  time  these  friendly  people  made  Zint- 
kala  and  Etapa  forget  their  homesick  longings. 
Besides  their  genuine  hospitality  and  the  blos- 
soming of  their  wonderful  spring  season,  there 
were  fishing  and  swimming,  canoe  racing,  drum 
and  flute  music  and  dancing,  and,  not  the  least 

168 


IN       BLACK      OTTER'S      CAMP 

of  pleasures,  the  gathering  and  eating  of  fat 
young  pigeons — "squabs,"  as  the  white  settlers 
have  called  them. 

There  was  also  a  war  excitement.  The  young 
men  of  this  large  camp  were  preparing  to  take 
up  the  hatchet,  and  there  were  strangers  coming 
and  going  who  had  entered  a  league  forming 
against  the  encroaching  whites.  It  appeared 
that  Black  Otter  was  not  the  chief  of  these 
Awanse,  as  the  Sioux  children  had  at  first  been 
led  to  suppose,  but  only  a  partisan  and  war 
leader  of  the  young  men. 

After  a  time,  seeing  all  this  preparation  for 
war,  and  that  Etapa  was  becoming  strong  again, 
Zintkala  thought  of  going  homeward.  One 
evening  she  spoke  to  Other  Bird  about  this. 
Black  Otter's  wife  sat  thoughtful  for  a  time,  then 
she  got  up  and  went  outside  her  tepee  to  see  if 
anyone  was  within  hearing.  When  she  came  in 
she  spoke. 

"You  have  seen,"  she  said,  "that  our  young 
men  are  going  to  war.  Men  from  Little  Crow's 
towns  of  your  people  have  come  among  us  urging 
war  against  the  white  folk  who  have  taken 
our  lands.  So  there  will  soon  be  fighting  in  the 
lower  country.  It  may  be  that  they  are  fighting 
now.  It  will  not  be  good  for  you  to  leave  us  yet 
until  we  can  safely  send  you  to  some  of  your 
people  who  will  assist  you  homeward.  What  I 
have  said  is  as  the  bird  sings,  and  my  husband 

169 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

would  be  angry  with  me  if  he  should  hear  that  I 
had  spoken  thus  unwisely." 

Zintkala  said  nothing,  but  these  words  gave 
her  great  uneasiness.  She  wanted  more  than 
ever  to  go  home.  She  was  not  capable  of 
logical  reasoning,  but  she  felt  that  now  her 
father  must  surely  wish  his  children  to  be  at 
home  and  not  among  the  toka  (enemy).  With 
all  her  little  soul  she  detested  the  conquering 
race,  but  she  did  not  believe  that  her  father 
would  wish  to  go  to  war  against  the  white 
people.  Fire  Cloud  had  said  to  his  family,  "My 
children,  the  wasecunpi"  (white  ones)  "are  count- 
less. We  are  nothing.  It  is  very  silly  for  us  to 
think  of  going  to  war  against  such." 

Zintkala  knew  that  this  father,  however, 
would  send  for  his  children  very  quickly  if  there 
were  to  be  a  war  against  the  agencies.  She  was 
very  much  troubled  and  spoke  to  Etapa  of  these 
things  when  she  could  do  so  privately.  "Let  us 
go  homeward  secretly  and  quickly,  older  sister," 
was  his  response. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  replied  in  reproof, "what 
you  have  said  is  very  wrong  indeed.  We  should 
not  escape  from  these  people  as  from  the  enemy." 

It  was  but  a  day  or  two  later  that  they  played 
for  a  long  time  in  the  afternoon  upon  a  gravel 
beach,  gathering  pretty  pebbles  and  especially 
hunting  for  small  colored  stones  with  holes  in 
them.  They  were  hunting  these  at  sunset  when 

170 


IN      BLACK      OTTER'S      CAMP 

some  young  men  came  down  to  swim,  and  as 
these  passed  them  they  heard  a  familiar  voice 
and,  looking  toward  the  group,  saw  several  of 
Tall  Gun's  young  men.  Instantly  the  two  bent 
low  over  their  search,  turning  their  backs  toward 
the  swimmers.  They  slipped  gradually  away 
from  the  vicinity  and,  getting  quickly  behind 
some  bushes,  ran  swiftly  to  the  lodge  of  their 
host.  Black  Otter  had  gone  away  in  the  morn- 
ing. Other  Bird  had  taken  her  baby  and  gone 
to  gossip  with  a  neighbor. 

The  Sioux  children  did  not  stop  to  consider 
the  usages  of  hospitality.  All  these  people  were 
become  once  more  the  enemy.  The  head  chief 
of  this  village  they  did  not  really  know.  He 
had  never  spoken  to  them.  Doubtless  when 
Tall  Gun  should  demand  the  slaves  whom  he 
had  purchased  of  the  Hohe  this  man  would 
deliver  them  to  him  and,  according  to  all  Indian 
custom,  they  were  the  property  of  Tall  Gun 
until  they  should  be  ransomed  or  make  good 
their  escape. 

Therefore  they  gathered  their  blankets  and 
the  few  weapons  and  effects  they  had  brought 
with  them  and,  placing  their  presents  in  a  heap 
upon  a  mat,  as  soon  as  darkness  came  on,  crawled 
under  the  skin  at  the  rear  of  the  tepee,  silently 
crept  away  among  the  bushes  which  fringed  the 
lakeshore  and  bluff,  and  so  passed  unmolested 
around  the  village  and  into  the  wood  beyond. 

171 


CHAPTER  XVI 
IN   THE    COUGAR'S   LAIR 

It  may  be  that  they  fled  from  the  camp  of 
Black  Otter  unwisely.  This  can  not  be  known, 
as  there  was  no  discovered  attempt  to  follow 
them.  They  ran  as  they  had  once  run  before, 
until  their  legs  refused  the  office. 

After  an  hour  or  so  of  early  semi-darkness, 
Wimima,  the  full-moon,  dropped  her  brilliant 
webs  and  skeins  of  light  into  all  the  trunk-grown 
spaces.  So,  where  there  were  not  bushes  to 
hinder,  the  chase  away  from  fear  was  almost  as 
if  they  ran  in  daylight.  Much  of  the  way  they 
passed  through  pine  woods.  Two  or  three  times 
an  arm  of  the  big  rambling  lake  was  thrust 
across  their  front,  turning  them  aside  at  wide 
angles.  Then  they  slipped  into  woods  beyond  its 
shore  lines  and  came  upon  a  hilly  country  of 
small  pines  with  frequent  open  tracts  of  burned 
over  lands. 

They  had  become  hardier  voyagers  than  those 
of  the  tamarack  swamp  and  "spirit  woods."  The 
novel  fears  of  the  first  nights — the  first  they  had 
ever  spent  alone — in  the  forests  had  been  in  a 
measure  schooled  out  of  their  minds.  To  the 
weird  night  cries,  the  strange  silences,  the  influ- 

172 


IN    THE     COUGAR'S    LAIR 

ences  of  the  shadows,  they  were  becoming  inured 
by  experience. 

Yet  startling  things  befell  and  frightened 
them.  The  ruffed  grouse  whizzed  from  its 
covert  and  they  caught  their  breath,  stunned  by 
the  thunder  of  its  wings.  A  wolf  heard  the  light 
pit-pat  of  their  footfalls  and  lay  in  wait  for  some 
easy  quarry.  Its  gruff  snarl  of  surprise  and 
chagrin  as  it  sprang  away  at  the  point  of  contact 
brought  them  to  stand  with  prickling  skins.  The 
hoarse  squawk  of  a  bittern  which  sprang  from 
the  marsh  grass  at  their  feet,  the  hushed  swoop 
of  an  owl  across  a  moonlit  space,  the  star-fire  of 
a  decayed  log,  the  ghostly  arms  of  a  dead  white 
birch,  the  near  shrill  yapping  of  a  red  fox,  the 
lighted  flash  of  a  deer's  white  flag — all  these 
things  and  many  more  gave  them  momentary 
terrors. 

At  last,  when  the  moon  had  outridden  its 
zenith,  and  their  legs  were  extremely  weary,  they 
came  upon  a  prairie  with  a  soft  carpet  of  grass, 
and  a  huge  elk,  with  great  black  clubs  of  antlers, 
confronted  them,  stamping  and  snorting  as  if 
minded  to  attack.  They  stood  close  together, 
panting  and  talking  in  low  tones  while  hehaka 
threatened.  They  could  not  run  away;  they 
were  too  tired.  Presently,  however,  the  big  bull 
trotted  off,  and  they  walked  on.  They  could 
no  longer  run,  and  it  was  Zintkala  who  first  spoke 
of  stopping. 

173 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"Younger  brother,  let  us  lie  down,"  she 
pleaded.  "I  faint  from  weariness." 

"Not  so,  sister,  come  ye  on  to  the  woods  again, 
lest  the  enemy  shall  find  us  when  we  are  awak- 
ened," said  the  boy,  who  was  again  the  hardy 
leader  he  had  been. 

Against  so  sound  advice  the  sister  could  not 
protest,  and  so  she  plodded  on,  her  little  feet 
dragging  and  stumbling  in  the  grass,  her  eyes 
closing  now  and  then  from  sheer  fatigue.  Etapa 
led  the  way  for  some  time  over  a  high  prairie 
country,  when  they  came  suddenly  upon  a  coulee 
stream,  sunken  deep  in  the  bosom  of  the  level 
lands,  gurgling  and  tumbling  through  a  sharply- 
cut  and  wooded  ravine. 

On  the  bluff  looking  down  to  this  shadow 
gulch  they  walked  for  a  little  way,  hesitating  to 
take  the  plunge  into  its  abyss-like  depths. 
They  could  not  know  that  they  might  cross  the 
stream,  rumbling  among  the  rocks  below.  At 
last,  however,  they  were  too  weary  to  longer 
hesitate,  and  at  the  head  of  a  dark,  rocky  and 
bush-grown  coulee  they  paused  for  a  moment 
confusedly. 

"Tanke,"  muttered  Etapa,  sleepily,  "I  think  we 
should  rest  here,  where  the  thick  bushes  will  hide 
us  from  the  enemy." 

"I  wish  to  lie  down,"  murmured  Zintkala, 
staggering  as  she  spoke.  So  they  began  to 
descend  the  steep,  ragged  ravine,  the  sister 

174. 


IN    THE     COUGAR'S     LAIR 

clinging  to  the  brother  in  order  to  keep  her  feet 
upon  the  steep  scarps  of  the  bluff.  From  the 
first  descent  was  arduous.  Rough  rock  ledges, 
sudden  steeps,  dense  growths  of  bush,  were  all 
hidden  from  the  moon's  light  by  a  beetling  bluff 
above. 

As  they  dropped  lower  into  the  coulee  the 
blackness  became  intense.  Nothing  could  be 
seen  below.  They  would  gladly  have  retraced 
their  steps  but  for  the  arduous  and  well  nigh 
impossible  effort  of  the  climb. 

Overcome  by  sleep  and  fatigue  they  were 
thus  toilsomely  descending  when  Etapa's  feet 
slipped  and  he  fell.  Involuntarily  he  seized  upon 
Zintkala's  skirt,  and  the  two,  whirling  over  and 
over,  dropped  to  the  bottom  of  an  almost  per- 
pendicular notch. 

"O  younger  brother,"  muttered  Zintkala,  "I 
fear  that  we  die."  Yet  the  little  girl  lay  upon  a 
bed  of  leaves  and  debris  and,  despite  her 
bruises,  turned  herself  upon  her  side  and  almost 
instantly  fell  asleep.  Etapa  sat  up  for  a  time  try- 
ing to  collect  his  battered  senses;  then  he,  too, 
fell  back  upon  the  leaves  and  slept  the  sleep  of 
exhaustion. 

But  for  the  weary  stupor  which  was  upon  them 
the  two  would  doubtless  have  noted  a  musky  and 
peculiar  odor  in  the  dark  pocket  into  which  they 
had  fallen.  If  their  ears  also  had  not  been  deaf 
to  all  sounds  in  the  sleep-ridden  jar  of  their  fall, 

175 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

some  faint  little  hissings,  from  the  darkest  corner 
of  the  crevasse  into  which  they  had  fallen,  would 
have  driven  them  speedily  to  another  shelter. 
As  it  was  they  lay  unheeding,  a  blanket  roll  here 
and  another  there,  the  boy's  bow  caught  upon  a 
bush  part  way  up  the  steep,  his  arrows,  thrown 
from  their  quiver,  scattered  among  the  rocks 
below. 

If  the  moon  could  have  shone  at  a  certain 
angle  into  this  crevasse,  a  deep,  bush-grown  tri- 
angular notch  in  a  rock-ledge,  its  light  would 
have  fallen  upon  two  pairs  of  innocents.  One, 
unconscious  of  peril,  lay  as  motionless  as  the 
cleanly  gnawed  bones  of  the  dead  which  were 
scattered  on  every  hand;  the  other,  with  recently 
opened  eyes,  cowered  within  the  deepest  corner  of 
their  lair,  amazed  and  distressed  at  the  ominous 
and  disagreeable  odor  which  filled  their  sniffling 
nostrils.  These  two  crawled  over  each  other, 
hugging  an  earth  bank  beneath  a  shelving  rock. 
They  buried  their  small  noses  each  beneath  the 
other's  body  or  between  its  own  furry  paws. 
Unable  to  shut  off  the  offensive  smell  they 
bared  their  pin-pointed  fangs  and  hissed  and 
spat  in  faint  sibilant  breathings  like  the  warnings 
of  a  harmless  snake. 

In  the  meantime  a  cougar  dam  trotted  stealthily 
among  the  bush-grown  ravines  of  the  coulee. 
During  all  the  long  day  she  had  lain  alternating 
between  the  luxury  of  sleep  and  the  pleasure  of 

176 


IN    THE     COUGAR'S    LAIR 

suckling  and  caressing  her  babies.  She  was  now 
very  hungry.  She  had  been  out  since  midnight, 
perhaps,  but  the  moon's  light  was  too  brilliant  for 
good  hunting.  The  hare  was  abroad  and  alert, 
sitting  nowhere  long  enough  to  give  scent  for 
the  still  hunt.  The  grouse  whizzed  from  cover 
far  beyond  reach,  as  keen  of  eye  as  in  the  day- 
time; and  the  wood  duck  and  her  young  moved 
calmly  out  from  shore,  dipping  their  bills  and 
nodding  wisely.  Two  or  three  insignificant  and 
stupid  ground  birds,  snapped  from  their  nests 
in  the  upland  grass,  served  only  to  whet  the 
appetite.  So  as  meat  must  be  had  to  nourish 
her  young  kits,  the  huntress  of  the  long  claw 
repaired  to  a  deer's  runway,  to  play  the  waiting 
game. 

Upon  the  coulee's  bluff,  at  the  head  of  a 
ravine  which  was  traversed  by  a  narrow  and 
hard-trodden  path,  she  concealed  herself  among 
the  low  bush.  She  lay  at  the  edge  of  the 
prairie  where  her  eye  could  sweep  a  wide  half 
circuit  of  grass  land.  A  number  of  deer  were 
feeding,  scattered  here  and  there,  but,  though 
she  waited  patiently  and  cunningly  after  her 
wisdom,  none  of  the  animals  came  to  the  creek 
for  water.  A  heavy  dew  had  fallen,  and  the 
succulent,  wet  young  grass  offered  food  and 
drink  in  abundance. 

Daylight  came,  the  sun  arose,  and  found  her 
lying  in  wait.  Most  of  the  deer  moved  away 

177 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

toward  a  highland.  Only  one,  a  yearling  doe, 
lingered  near.  This  one  lay  down  and  chewed 
the  cud.  Its  back  was  turned  to  the  cougar,  and 
now  the  sly  one  stole  forth  upon  the  chance, 
against  long  odds,  of  taking  the  shy  one 
unawares.  Flattened  to  the  semblance  of  a 
huge  yellow  snake,  her  tail  following  like  a 
smaller  snake,  her  back  barely  showing  above 
the  short  grass,  the  great  cat  wormed  her  way 
inch  by  inch  toward  the  ruminant. 

Fortune  favored  her,  for  the  long  ears  of  the 
young  doe  were  lopping  lazily,  thus  cutting  off 
the  line  of  vision  of  one  eye,  which  must  have 
noted  unusual  movements  across  her  shoulder. 

Doubtless  yet  she  might  have  escaped  had  not 
her  face  for  one  fatal  moment  been  buried  under 
her  flank  to  bite  at  some  offending  insect.  In 
that  instant  the  cougar  dam  gathered  all  her 
whipcord  muscles  into  knots  and  launched  her- 
self. Too  late  the  fawn's  ears  caught  the  sibi- 
lant sounds  of  that  skimming,  whizzing  rush. 
She  leaped  wildly  in  air,  and  the  cougar  struck 
home  her  talons  deep  into  flank  and  shoulder 
The  animals  rolled  together  like  a  ragged  yel- 
low ball,  and  the  fawn's  neck  was  broken  with  a 
snap.  After  tasting  the  blood  of  her  quarry  the 
hungry  one  remembered  her  kits  and  hastened 
back  to  her  lair. 

The  hot  scent  of  blood  in  her  nostrils  and  the 
blind  savagery  of  triumph  prevented  her  dis- 

178 


IN    THE     COUGAR'S    LAIR 

covery  of  the  voyagers  until  she  had  leaped  from 
a  rock,  half  tumbled  and  half  dragged  her  prey 
into  the  mouth  of  the  notch. 

Then  her  threats,  suddenly  launched,  would 
have  electrified  any  but  the  dead.  At  the  first 
rattling  vibration  of  snarls  the  little  Sioux  leaped 
to  their  feet  with  nerves  strung  for  flight.  But 
there  was  no  line  of  flight  open.  The  cougar 
dam  had  flattened  herself  as  if  for  a  leap,  with 
bared  fangs  and  claws  tearing  at  the  soil,  within 
the  one  narrow  pass  from  her  lair. 

Zintkala  sprang  to  an  opposite  rim  of  rock 
and  cowered,  her  hands  shielding  her  face. 
"Oh,  brother,  we  die,"  she  wailed. 

Etapa  was  scared.  His  knees  shook  and  his 
teeth  chattered  with  fear.  Yet  the  boy,  seeing 
no  chance  of  escape,  looked  instinctively  for  his 
weapons.  Only  his  tomahawk  was  within  reach, 
and  this  lay  half-way  between  himself  and  the 
cougar.  As  he  dared  not  take  a  step  toward  the 
threatening  creature  he  backed  away  to  where 
Zintkala  cowered  and  drew  her  long  knife  from 
its  sheath. 

The  spirit  within  him  was  braver  than  the 
flesh,  for  his  hand  shook  as  he  raised  the 
weapon  and  his  voice  was  thin  and  quavering  as 
he  cried,  after  the  manner  of  his  kind,  to  the 
snarling  beast,  "If  you  come  to  fight  I  will  cut 
your  skin,  igmu-hanska!  I  will  make  holes  in 
your  flesh!" 

179 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

As  the  boy  had  receded  the  cougar  dam 
advanced,  now  standing  upright,  with  distended 
jaws  and  deep  chest  roarings,  whipping  her  tail 
to  and  fro,  the  incarnation  of  savage  ferocity. 

She  halted  midway  in  her  lair,  and  the  notch 
rang  with  her  threats.  Yet,  though  her  muscles 
were  knotted  in  a  half-crouch,  her  yellow-green 
eyes  ablaze  and  all  her  fangs  bared,  she  hesitated 
to  attack. 

The  boy  saw  this  hesitation,  and  his  nerve 
came  back  in  a  reactive  shock.  Again,  as  when 
the  bear  had  threatened,  he  flared  into  savagery. 
He  shouted  an  Oglala  war-whoop.  "Hi-yi-yih! 
yi-hi!  Come  on,  igmu-hanska!  I  will  cut  your 
skin.  Yih-hi!  It  is  even  so.  I  will  do  it."  He 
made  his  knife  blade  whirl  before  him,  and  the 
rocks  re-echoed  his  fierce  shouts. 

Suddenly,  as  he  whooped  at  her,  the  beast 
before  him  ceased  her  threats.  The  hair  fell 
upon  her  skin,  the  tail  ceased  to  snap,  and  she 
craned  her  neck  with  a  hoarse  whine  of  anxiety. 
She  seemed  to  be  calling,  and  the  mother  solici- 
tude was  written  so  plainly  in  her  intent  gaze, 
her  eager,  anxious  face  and  piteous  whine,  that 
a  child  could  not  have  mistaken. 

The  boy  unconsciously  followed  the  line  of  her 
gaze,  directed  to  a  point  under  the  rock  rim 
against  which  he  had  planted  his  back.  He 
stooped  and  looked  obliquely  into  a  pocket 
within  a  step  or  two  of  his  feet.  He  saw  the 

180 


IN    THE     COUGAR'S    LAIR 

reason  for  the  "long-cat's"  threats,  the  object  of 
her  yearning  anxiety. 

"Ho,  igmu-hanska!"  cried  the  boy,  "you  desire 
your  children's  safety.  I  will  not  hurt  them. 
See,  I  will  give  them  to  you."  And  without  an 
instant's  hesitation  he  thrust  his  foot  into  their 
nest  and  poked  her  hissing,  spitting  kits  out  into 
the  open.  Then  he  seized  and  tossed  them  one 
after  the  other  quite  over  the  old  dam's  head  and 
into  the  mouth  of  the  notch. 

The  cougar's  eyes  followed  her  kits,  and  she 
eagerly  sprang  after  them,  stooping  over  them 
with  strange  inquiring  cries.  Then  she  gathered 
both  tiny  creatures  in  her  mouth  and  slipped 
into  the  depths  of  the  coulee. 


181 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE    CANOE    OF   THE   WASECUN 

"Wan  ho,  Tanke,  see  what  igmu-hanska  has 
left  for  us!"  cried  Etapa.  His  fear  had  vanished, 
and  he  pounced  joyously  upon  the  carcass  of  the 
young  deer.  His  hunger  was  now  keen  and  here 
was  fresh  meat  in  abundance. 

"Inama!  It  is  wonderful!"  said  the  girl.  Her 
face  had  not  regained  its  color,  and  her  legs  yet 
felt  shaky,  but  she  was  very  glad  of  this  good 
meat. 

"I  am  very  thirsty,  but  I  can  not  yet  go  down 
to  the  water;"  she  said,  "and  I  am  also  afraid  to 
stay,"  she  added. 

"The  long-cat  will  not  come  back,"  Etapa 
assured  her.  "Look  for  the  Cree  arrows,  sister," 
and  he  took  her  basin  and  descended  to  the 
stream.  He  returned  in  two  or  three  minutes, 
and  then,  while  he  took  the  skin  of  the  fawn, 
Zintkala  gathered  some  dry,  tender  fagots  and 
lighted  a  little  blaze  which  gave  off  but  a  tiny 
wreath  of  smoke.  Thin  strips  of  venison, 
scorched  over  this  flicker  of  flame,  tasted  won- 
derfully good  and  they  ate  until  their  girths  had 
visibly  increased.  They  then  gathered  their  few 
effects  and,  carrying  the  "saddles"  of  the  fawn, 
toiled  out  of  the  coulee.  At  the  edge  of  the 

182 


THE   CANOE   OF  THE    WASECUN 

prairie,  where  the  grass  was  still  wet  with  dew, 
they  came  upon  the  cougar's  trail  where  she  had 
dragged  the  young  doe.  In  the  direction  they 
wished  to  go  they  followed  this  plain  trace,  and 
at  the  point  of  attack  Etapa  examined  the  ground 
with  a  young  hunter's  intense  interest.  There 
he  read  the  story  of  her  lying  in  wait  and  of  her 
successful  still  hunt. 

They  had  now  set  their  faces  westward,  and 
they  walked  upon  the  prairie,  scanning  fre- 
quently the  north  horizon,  ready  to  plunge  into 
the  coulee  at  sight  of  any  suspicious  figure  in  the 
distance.  For  a  little  way  the  course  of  the 
stream  was  eastward  through  prairie  and  wood- 
lands. Then,  until  noon,  they  plodded  through  a 
belt  of  pine  country  and  again  came  upon  the 
open  prairie  to  a  region  of  beautiful  wooded 
lakes,  a  land  of  rich  grasses,  abloom  with  a  great 
variety  of  prairie  and  wood  flowers,  and  a  hunt- 
er's paradise. 

It  was  the  country  their  ancestors  had  fought 
over  for  more  than  two  centuries,  perhaps  for 
ten  of  them.  This  land  they  had  held  for  at 
least  a  century  against  the  combined  efforts  of 
Ojibwa,  Crees,  Assiniboins,  fur  traders  and 
white  adventurers,  and  with  chiefly  the  bow  and 
arrow  to  oppose  to  flintlock  guns! 

A  little  after  noon  the  voyagers  passed  into  a 
great  hardwood  forest,  and  in  the  depths  of  the 
woods  built  a  fire  and  cooked  all  their  meat  so  as 

183 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

to  preserve  what  they  could  not  eat.  After  they 
had  eaten  they  were  attacked  with  sleep  and  fell 
upon  their  blankets. 

They  were  awakened  some  hours  later  by  vol- 
leys of  thunder,  and  arose  to  find  the  sky  dark- 
ened and  to  hear  a  great  roar  of  coming  wind 
and  rain.  Few  are  the  Indians  who  do  not  feel 
fear  in  a  thunder-storm.  In  their  native  state 
they  begin  to  pray  fervently  at  the  first  mutter- 
ings  of  the  thunder  god  or  thunder  bird  as  the 
belief  may  run. 

Zintkala  and  Etapa  had  been  taught  a  prayer 
which  Dakota  children  should  offer  to  Wakinyan 
when  lost  in  a  storm.  With  scared  faces  they 
looked  at  the  blackened  spaces  of  western  sky 
and  saw  clouds  and  tree  tops  transfixed  by 
jagged  red  bolts,  and  they  stepped  a  little  apart 
and,  with  faces  turned  skyward,  prayed  pite- 
ously. 

And  these  are  the  words  they  used  and  the 
interpretation  thereof: 

Wakinyan,  mi  me  meya  ukiya  lo!  Wakinyan, 
mi  me  meya  ukiye  lo!  Wanyanka  yo!  ni  wak- 
pahte  cin  tokel  yacin  ecamon  kta.  Heon,  ni 
meyaye  ni  to  wasake-tanka  kin  on  napatayus 
amayaye,  hecel  waki-hunni  kta. 

"Thunder  Spirits!  Whirlwinds!  Ye  are  com- 
ing. See  me,  pity  me!  You  have  great  powers. 
Therefore  take  me  by  the  hand  and  lead  me 
homeward.  Thereafter  I  shall  do  your  will." 

184 


THE   CANOE   OF  THE    WASECUN 

Thunder,  wind  and  rain,  however,  were  deaf 
to  this  appeal  for  pity.  A  terrific  storm  fell  upon 
the  woods.  Overhead  was  a  swaying,  mighty 
uproar.  The  tree  tops  were  lashed  together  as 
grass  blades.  Big  oaks  were  snapped  off  as 
though  stricken  by  cannon  balls.  The  crash  of 
these,  the  incessant  rattling  volleys  of  thunder, 
the  awful  roar  of  wind  mingled  with  the  deafen- 
ing beat  of  rain,  might  well  have  appalled  the 
coolest  brain  or  the  stoutest  heart. 

The  Sioux  children  flung  themselves  face 
downward  upon  the  ground  and  suffered  the 
terrors  of  those  who  expect  a  violent  death. 
The  rain  fell  as  in  a  cloud-burst  until  every  gully 
and  runlet  gurgled  or  rumbled  with  its  flood. 
Inches  of  water  fell  and  the  storm  passed  as 
quickly  as  it  had  come.  The  little  voyagers 
could  hardly  believe  themselves  alive  when  they 
faced  each  other,  with  sunlight  filtering  through 
the  torn  branches,  upon  the  drenched  and  leaf- 
strewn  earth. 

The  life  came  back  into  their  faces  and  they 
laughed  joyously.  "Inama!"  exclaimed  Zint- 
kala.  "Wonderful!  It  appears  that  Wakinyan 
has  spared  our  lives." 

Laughing  happily,  they  squeezed  the  water 
out  of  their  soaked  clothing  and  dripping  braids. 
With  the  best  wringing  they  could  give  them, 
their  blankets  were  very  heavy.  They  wished  to 
dry  their  clothing  and  so  packed  their  bundles 

185 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

and  trudged  on  to  find  an  opening  where  sun 
and  wind  could  do  the  work  most  quickly. 

There  were  fallen  timbers  and  swollen  brooks 
to  stay  their  progress.  Several  times  they  were 
compelled  to  go  up  or  down  a  torrent-filled  ravine 
to  find  crossing  on  the  inevitable  fallen  tree. 
But  fortune  favored  them.  While  the  sun  was 
still  shining  hotly  they  came  out  upon  an  open 
prairie  and,  at  the  edge  of  a  hazel  thicket,  where 
they  could  spread  their  blankets  to  catch  both 
wind  and  sun's  rays,  they  made  camp  for  the 
night.  As  they  had  an  abundance  of  meat  they 
had  only  to  lie  at  ease  drying  their  clothes. 

Yet  Zintkala,  with  a  keen  scent  for  wild  fruit, 
soon  discovered  a  patch  of  strawberries,  and  the 
two  feasted,  eating  of  the  delicious  fruit  until 
their  hands  and  faces  were  stained  a  vivid  red 
and  their  stomachs  could  hold  no  more.  Upon 
the  warm,  damp  grass  they  slept  until  morning. 
They  breakfasted  as  they  had  taken  supper  in 
the  berry  patch.  They  were  loath  to  leave  the 
abundance  of  strawberries  but  finally  tore  them- 
selves away  upon  the  chance  of  finding  more  en- 
route. 

They  now  crossed  a  prairie  and  traversed  the 
walled  sand  beaches  of  several  beautiful  lakes. 
Among  these  sands  they  found,  upon  a  number 
of  stretches,  the  new-laid  eggs  of  some  long- 
legged  birds  which  ran  before  them,  ducking 
their  heads  and  incessantly  piping  a  single 

186 


THE   CANOE   OF  THE    WASECUN 

querulous  note.  The  eggs  were  very  good,  and 
they  dined  heartily  off  them.  Also,  toward 
night,  in  one  of  the  lake  outlets,  they  came  upon 
a  run  of  the  big  buffalo  fish — a  large  variety  of 
suckers — and  in  the  shallow  water  where  the 
fish's  backfin  cut  the  surface  they  captured  a 
scaly  monster  about  as  large  as  either  of  them- 
selves. 

Upon  this  big  fish  they  feasted  that  night  and 
the  following  morning,  and  they  further  cooked 
and  cured  their  supply  of  venison,  knowing  it 
must  be  heated  often  or  become  sour  and  stale 
and,  as  they  wished  to  travel  fast,  they  could  not 
guess  how  soon  they  might  need  this  supply. 

Their  forethought  was  justified.  The  sun  had 
just  begun  slanting  toward  the  west  when  they 
came  upon  a  wooded  stream  with  a  deep,  rapid 
current  which  ran  to  the  southwest.  They  were 
trudging  along  the  bank  of  this  river  when  they 
stepped  from  thick  brush  into  an  opening  and 
without  warning  came  plump  upon  a  log  cabin 
with  a  dirt  roof,  standing  by  an  oak  tree  newly 
riven  and  splintered  by  wind  or  lightning.  The 
voyagers  were  not  greatly  alarmed.  They  knew 
this  familiar  half-roofed  hut  for  the  tepee  of  a 
French  fur  hunter,  a  domicile  seen  at  all  the 
trading  posts  and  at  many  Indian  villages. 

As  they  stood,  undecided  whether  to  go  for- 
ward or  retreat,  their  eyes  fell  upon  the  figure  of 
a  man's  arm  stretched  out  upon  the  bare  ground 

187 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

and  reaching  half  its  length  beyond  the  corner 
of  the  cabin.  Was  the  man  sleeping?  Softly 
Etapa  stepped  forward  at  an  angle  which  would 
give  him  a  front  view  of  the  hut,  and  slowly  the 
full  figure  of  a  man  came  into  view.  The  boy 
did  not  need  to  look  closely  at  the  swollen 
upturned  face  to  know  that  the  man  was  dead. 
He  had  been  stricken  by  lightning,  or  a  fallen 
limb,  directly  in  front  of  his  door.  Etapa  knew 
that  there  could  have  been  no  other  persons  at 
hand  or  the  dead  one  would  have  been  buried. 

"This  wasecun"  (white  man)  "is  dead.  I  think 
Wakinyan  has  slain  him,"  he  said,  in  a  tone 
hushed  with  awe.  Zintkala  came  forward  on 
tiptoe  and  looked. 

"Nakaes,  younger  brother,  it  is  so,"  she  said, 
and  then  turned  her  eyes  to  the  river  bank. 
"There  is  the  canoe  of  this  dead  one.  I  think 
we  should  take  it." 

The  prow  of  a  birch-bark  vessel  showed  plainly 
against  some  bushes  and  hastening  to  it  they 
found  the  canoe  moored,  with  paddle  inside,  in 
a  sort  of  bayou  notch.  The  voyagers  were  glad 
to  be  speedily  whirled  out  of  sight  of  that  still 
figure  before  the  hut.  The  man  would  not  need 

o 

his  canoe  further,  and  they  were  glad  of  its  aid 
for  what  distance  the  river  might  run  to  west- 
ward. 

The  current  of  the  stream  was  deep  and 
strong,  and  the  paddle  was  only  needed  for 

188 


THE   CANOE   OF  THE    WA^ECUN 

steering.  When  they  had  flung  off  the  grue- 
some feeling  which  a  view  of  the  dead  man's  dis- 
torted face  had  excited  they  were  happy  to  be 
borne  swiftly  past  woods  and  prairie. 

Often  both  prairie  banks  were  massed  in  wild 
roses,  and  as  the  children  descended  between  the 
hedges  of  color  they  forgot  caution  and  shouted 
at  each  other,  each  as  if  the  other  had  no  eyes, 
"See,  see!"  "Oh,  do  look!"  "Nina  waste!" 

Now  and  then  they  shot  rapids  that  would 
have  wrecked  their  slight  craft  at  another  season. 
But  the  water  was  very  high  from  recent  heavy 
rains  and,  though  the  current  bore  them  at  a 
dizzy  speed,  its  center  was  usually  as  smooth  as 
glass.  At  one  narrow  pass,  however,  where 
there  was  a  sharp  bend,  the  waters  were  rolled 
together  as  a  scroll.  They  saw  the  danger  too 
late  to  avoid  it,  and  with  breathless  speed  their 
light  craft  whizzed  through  the  foaming  tumble 
of  waters.  The  canoe  was  half  filled  and  the 
voyagers  were  drenched  to  their  skins  but  they 
suffered  no  other  hurt  than  a  momentary 
fright. 

They  brought  the  craft  to  land,  turned  the 
water  out,  and  again  wrung  their  blankets  and 
clothing  with  laughter  at  the  mishap.  There- 
after they  approached  sharp  curves  more 
cautiously. 

When  night  came  they  had  probably  voyaged 
fifty  miles  or  more  to  westward,  and  they 

189 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

ascended  a  low  bluff  to  find  themselves  upon  a 
prairie  where  no  timber  could  be  seen  save 
the  narrow  fringe  which  skirted  their  water- 
way. 

They  were  overjoyed.  This  was  indeed  their 
own  country.  They  knew  the  prairie  literally 
"as  seamen  know  the  sea."  Here  were  the 
teepsinna  and  other  roots  which  Zintkala  loved 
to  dig.  And  here  were  the  whistling  antelope 
which  stood  at  gaze  stamping  their  feet  saucily, 
but  safely  beyond  arrow  range.  And,  yes, 
almost  at  their  feet  there  lay  the  horned  skull 
and  bleaching  bones  of  tatanka,  the  buffalo  bull. 

For  a  time  these  wild  children  ran  about,  care- 
free upon  the  prairie,  reveling  in  its  tonic, 
untainted  breeze,  pouncing  with  joyous  exclama- 
tions upon  familiar  flowers  and  plants.  They 
gathered  handfuls  of  red  lilies  and  yellow  moc- 
casin-flowers, and  they  ate  wild  turnips  and 
potatoes  until  they  could  hold  no  more. 

They  would  gladly  have  camped  upon  the 
high  prairie,  where  they  felt  so  much  at  home, 
but  caution  forbade  and  at  night  they  returned 
to  the  river's  bank.  Lighting  their  fire  was  now 
a  more  serious  matter  than  it  had  been.  Zint- 
kala had  hoarded  her  little  store  of  matches, 
and  the  remainder,  rolled  tightly  in  buckskins, 
had  even  come  dry  through  the  rain.  But  the 
afternoon's  canoe  drenching  had  soaked  her  tiny 
bunch  and  spoiled  them.  As  they  had  neglected 

190 


THE   CANOE   OF  THE    WASECUN 


in  daylight  to  search  the  river  woods  for  dry  and 
powdery  punk,  and  all  the  old  fog  of  grass  was 
wet  with  dew,  they  were  fireless  until  morning; 
though  they  would  gladly  have  made  a  little 
blaze  for  the  cheer  of  it. 


191 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
AT   THE   BIG   RIVER 

Their  first  greeting  at  daylight  made  them 
laugh  with  delight.  On  the  river's  bank  a  bird 
of  yellow  breast  sat  upon  a  tall,  dry  willow  top 
and  sang,  Kola  ni  Lakota!  Kola  ni  Lakota! 
(Friend,  you  are  a  Dakota).  And  they  inter- 
preted its  familiar  accent  in  the  plural  sense. 
The  bird  was  tasiyaknonpa,  the  meadow  lark, 
which  Dakotas  did  not  kill  because  of  its  reiter- 
ated claim  to  kinship. 

Zintkala  and  Etapa  cried  out  joyously  that 
they  were  indeed  Dakotas,  and  the  bird  flew 
away  apparently  well  content.  That  morning 
they  also  saw  other  old  friends — sungila,  the 
swift  and  crooked-bill,  the  squalling  prairie 
curlew.  They  ate  of  the  cooked  venison  and 
did  not  build  a  fire,  although  Etapa  secured  tin- 
der from  the  woods. 

For  another  day  the  swift,  full-fed  stream  car- 
ried them  out  into  the  plains  country.  There 
was  danger  in  this  daylight  canoeing,  for,  at  any 
moment,  they  might  shoot  into  view  of  a  hostile 
camp  or  village.  This  peril  had  not  impressed 
them  until  they  knew  that  they  had  been 
launched  into  the  level  country  where  timber  is 
not  to  be  found  save  along  the  streams.  They 

192 


AT       THE       BIG       RIVER 

could  only  guard  against  surprise  by  keenly 
scanning  every  reach  and  bend  of  the  river  in 
their  front.  They  felt  at  ease,  however,  when, 
as  frequently  happened,  there  were  deer,  elk  or 
antelope  feeding  upon  the  bluff  slopes.  In  the 
unscared  attitude  of  these  four-foots  they  read 
the  sign,  "No  hunters  near." 

For  the  rest  the  canoe  needed  only  steering 
and  much  of  the  way  it  ran,  for  speed,  as  the  elk 
trots.  Low  bluffs  continued  along  the  river,  and 
often  enough  for  fresh  surprises  they  were 
banked  in  red  roses  and  the  atmosphere  between 
them  was  laden  with  a  delicious  fragrance. 
Thus  the  voyagers  sped  joyously  homeward, 
going  so  fast  and  so  far  that  it  seemed  to  them 
the  river  must  keep  on  until  they  should  reach 
their  own  Oglala  town. 

But  at  midday  they  came  to  the  end  of  this 
waterway,  so  far,  at  least,  as  it  ran  to  the  west- 
ward. Their  canoe,  at  a  sweeping  turn,  was  dis- 
charged quite  suddenly  upon  a  wider  and 
discolored  current  which  ran  to  the  north  almost 
as  the  crow  flies.  Much  disappointed  that 
canoeing  should  so  soon  have  ended,  they 
crossed  to  the  west  bank  of  this  large  river  and 
climbed  its  low  bluff  to  find  a  beaten  road  at  the 
top  and  a  trader's  post,  with  out-buildings,  in  full 
view  a  mile  or  two  to  the  northward. 

Immediately  they  knew  this  river  for  the  Mini 
Luta,  or  Red  River  of  the  North;  for  down  this 

193 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

stream  and  past  the  very  fort  which  they  now 
saw  the  Assiniboins  had  carried  them  to  cap- 
tivity. They  had  arrived  at  a  country  hostile  to 
Dakotas,  but  they  were  well  out  of  a  strange 
and  trackless  wilderness.  They  looked  at  each 
other  joyously.  In  the  language  of  seamen, 
they  now  had  "plain  sailing."  They  had  only  to 
follow  up  this  river  to  its  lake  head  to  reach 
Sioux  territory. 

They  returned  to  the  canoe  and  for  a  little 
time  Etapa  paddled  up  the  stream  just  to  see 
what  progress  he  could  make. 

"Tanke,"  he  said,  "I  think  we  should  now  go 
nights  in  the  canoe." 

But  a  half-hour's  slow  progress  disposed  of 
this  plan,  and  the  two,  packing  their  bundles, 
trudged  along  the  river's  bank.  They  dared  not 
go  upon  the  level  prairie  for  fear  of  being  dis- 
covered by  people  from  the  fort. 

Their  wisdom  was  justified  at  evening.  They 
were  lying  at  rest  among  some  bushes  when 
their  ears  caught  a  familiar  sound,  a  snatch  of 
the  song  of  Canadian  boatmen: 

"  Printemps  .  .  .  petits  grands  .  .  .  Lon  Ion 
laridon  daine' — these  last  words  sung  by  several 
voices  in  unison. 

The  two  looked  at  each  other,  their  white 
teeth  gleaming  in  grins  of  approval.  They 
liked  that  rollicking  boat  song,  which  they  had 
often  heard  on  the  Missouri  and  at  Traverse 

194 


AT       THE       BIG       RIVER 

des  Sioux.  Although  they  did  not  know  the 
meaning  of  the  words,  either  could  have  re- 
peated the  lines: 

Touts  les  printemps, 

Tant  petits  que  grands, 

Lon  Ion  laridon  daine, 

Lon  Ion  laridon  daine. 

The  song  and  its  resonant  chorus  came  nearer, 
and  presently  the  creak  of  oar-locks  admonished 
the  voyagers  to  lie  low  in  cover.  They  did  not 
dare  to  risk  discovery  in  peeping  at  the  stran- 
gers; for  there  might  be  Hohe  (Assiniboins)  in 
that  large  boat,  and  these  would  shoot  or  cap- 
ture young  Sioux  with  little  regard  to  the  jolly 
boatmen.  So  the  bateau  slipped  by,  and  its 
thrilling  chorus  ceased  to  charm  the  hiders. 

The  voyagers  dared  not  build  a  fire  that  even- 
ing, but  ate  their  cooked  venison  and  betook 
themselves  to  their  blankets.  They  lay  in  a  low 
thicket  of  hazel  bush. 

They  had  not  yet  fallen  asleep  when  they 
heard  hoof-beats  upon  the  bluff.  They  sat  up 
with  hearts  in  their  mouths  and  peered  cautiously 
up  at  the  hill's  black  rim  outlined  sharply  against 
a  starlit  sky.  The  figure  of  a  horseman,  halted, 
loomed  upon  the  crest.  He  sat  as  if  waiting  for 
some  one,  and  presently  they  heard  again  the 
distant  muffled  thud,  thud  of  hoofs. 

After  a  bit  the  second  pony  rider  halted  and 
the  man  upon  the  bluff  lifted  his  voice  and 

195 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

shouted  at  the  loiterer.  "Coo'e'e!"  he  called. 
"Hoksida!  Cohan,  cohan!" 

Zintkala  and  Etapa  understood  these  words, 
yet  they  were  not  as  they  should  have  been 
spoken  in  their  own  dialect.  Their  shrewd  ears 
detected,  too,  that  the  man  said  "hello"  and 
"boy"  differently  from  the  Assiniboins,  but  that 
he  said  "come  on"  just  the  same.  This  man  was 
evidently  a  Dakota,  but  not  of  the  Assiniboin 
tribe.  Perhaps  he  was  a  friend  who  would 
gladly  assist  them  to  go  homeward.  He  might 
even  lend  a  pony.  Yet  they  dared  not  call  out 
to  him,  and  the  man  and  his  boy  rode  on  and 
passed  beyond  hearing. 

They  were  much  puzzled  to  know  what  they 
should  have  done,  and  they  talked,  speaking  in 
low  tones,  for  a  long  time  about  this.  They 
were  no  little  depressed  at  the  thought  of  having 
let  a  friend  go  by;  for  they  knew  that  there  were 
northern  Sioux  who  were  friendly  with  both  the 
Hone  and  their  own  people.  Yet  they  did  not 
see  how  they  could  wisely  have  attracted  this 
man's  attention. 

For  a  long  time  they  did  not  sleep.  It  was 
very  warm.  The  mosquitoes  attacked  them, 
and  they  covered  their  faces  with  green  leaves. 
Thus  lying,  they  listened  to  the  night  murmur 
of  the  river,  the  hoots  of  owls,  the  booming  of 
the  night-jar,  the  pop-plop  of  the  diving  beaver, 
and  the  whizzing  of  a  myriad  of  June-bugs. 

196 


CHAPTER    XIX 
THE   PONY   STEALERS 

The  morning  was  very  still  and  clear.  After 
eating  of  their  venison  the  little  voyagers 
debated  for  some  time  as  to  whether  they  should 
now  travel  by  day.  The  river  thoroughfare 
seemed  a  dangerous  route.  On  the  other  hand 
the  prairie  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  was 
level  as  the  extended  palm.  Plainly  it  would  not 
do,  day  or  night,  to  walk  on  the  plain,  at  least 
until  they  should  get  far  beyond  the  traffic  of 
the  trading-posts. 

Zintkala  favored  travel  by  day  along  the 
river,  where  there  seemed  always  willows,  bushes 
or  trees  for  hiding.  True  there  might  be  vil- 
lages or  tepees  along  the  streams,  but  the  sister 
argued  that  they  could  discover  approach  to 
these  best  by  the  sun's  light,  and  so  avoid  them. 
In  the  night,  she  said,  if  one  were  not  very  care- 
ful, one  might  suddenly  come  upon  people  where 
there  were  dogs  to  alarm,  and  how  could  escape 
be  made  in  such  a  narrow  valley? 

Etapa  was  for  night-going,  and  he  held  out  for 
a  long  time,  saying  they  could  walk  upon  the 
prairie  in  darkness,  keeping  close  to  the  bluff,  so 
that  they  might  hide  at  once  if  they  should  hear 
anyone  coming. 

197 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

The  sister's  earnest  persuasion  prevailed 
finally,  and  they  took  up  the  burden  of  a 
cautious  and  difficult  march.  For  most  of  the 
way  the  river  ran  through  a  coulee  which  was  like 
a  deep,  rough  canal  cut  in  the  prairie.  Occasion- 
ally this  rather  narrow  pass  widened  to  give 
room  for  a  belt  of  timber  or  a  loop  of  willow- 
fringed  meadow. 

Everywhere  the  voyagers  followed  closely  the 
stream's  bush-grown  bank.  They  were  not  fear- 
ful lest  anyone  should  make  suspicious  discovery 
of  their  trail,  for  this  waterway  was  a  highroad 
of  Indian  and  half-breed  travel.  Once  that  fore- 
noon they  lay  in  hiding  while  a  caravan  of  two- 
wheeled  wooden  carts  creaked  and  groaned  over 
the  prairie  road.  They  did  not  see  the  metis 
who  drove  these  carts,  but  they  heard  plainly 
their  voices  and  the  cracking  of  their  whips  as 
they  urged  the  slow  oxen  forward.  They  were 
glad  that  the  train  was  passing  down  the  river 
instead  of  up. 

They  lay  a  long  time  hidden  in  the  bushes  lest 
they  might  be  seen  by  stragglers.  The  need  for 
caution  in  their  travel  had  become  very  apparent, 
and  their  progress  was  tediously  slow.  They 
peered  from  hidden  covers  across  every  opening, 
and  into  every  bluff  coulee. 

They  stole  across  such  openings,  stooping  low, 
keeping  to  the  tall  grass  where  possible,  and 
often  imitating  the  movements  of  animals. 

198 


THE      PONY     STEALERS 

They  flitted  from  cover  to  cover  among  the 
bushes  and  tree  trunks,  treading  noiselessly. 

It  was  near  noon  and  they  were  just  entering 
a  wood,  having  approached  the  river  bank  after 
a  detour  and  by  way  of  a  dry  run,  when  they 
heard  a  splash  in  the  current  below.  They 
turned  their  faces  to  see  a  man,  an  Indian,  wad- 
ing near  the  edge  of  the  water.  This  man's 
back  was  toward  them,  and  he  held  a  spear 
poised  in  one  hand.  Like  startled  partridges 
the  two  sank  to  the  grass  and  squatted  motion- 
less until  the  wader  had  passed  beyond  hearing. 

Then  they  looked  at  each  other  with  uneasy 
inquiry.  They  were  plainly  between  the  fisher 
and  his  tepee  or  village,  and  it  appeared  equally 
perilous  to  go  up  or  down  the  narrow  valley. 

They  were  yet  undecided  what  to  do,  and  sat 
listening  intently  when  they  heard  the  tinkle- 
tinkle  of  pony  bells  upon  a  bluff.  A  number  of 
animals  were  soon  sighted,  several  bow-shots 
distant,  coming  over  its  crest  and  descending 
the  bush-grown  scarp  of  the  coulee.  Also  behind 
the  ponies  several  black  heads  appeared  above 
the  bush,  dusky  dots  upon  a  shield  of  green, 
and  the  voyagers  saw  that  some  young  Indians 
were  driving  the  little  herd. 

The  village  was  thus  plainly  located  at  a  point 
up  the  stream  within  the  coulee  and  near  at  hand. 
Their  own  position  was  one  of  immediate  peril. 
At  any  instant  a  straggler  from  the  camp  might 

199 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

chance  upon  them.  They  could  not  of  course 
wade  the  river;  they  dared  not  go  forward,  and 
the  man  with  the  spear  might  at  any  instant 
mount  the  bank  below. 

They  chose  the  safest  line  of  retreat.  Enter- 
ing the  woods  in  front  they  turned  to  the  right 
and  walked  leisurely  to  the  foot  of  the  river 
bluff.  They  moved  slowly,  that  they  might  not 
rustle  the  bushes,  and  carelessly,  so  that  if  seen 
at  a  distance  they  might  be  mistaken  for  chil- 
dren of  the  village  or  camp. 

The  coulee  scarp  was  grown  thickly  to  small 
bush.  Making  sure  they  had  not  been  seen, 
they  crawled  cautiously  upward  until  they 
reached  a  point  near  the  crest.  Here  they  took 
refuge  under  a  low  hedge  of  wild  grape  vines 
and  where  they  could  peer  safely  down  upon  the 
valley.  A  long  stretch  of  the  river  could  be  seen 
fringed  with  trees  and  hemmed,  in  the  distance, 
by  converging  lines  of  bluffs  and — almost  under 
their  eyes — beyond  the  grove  they  had  entered 
were  four  conical  tepees  pitched  upon  the  open 
flat  and  close  to  the  stream.  Beyond  the  lodges 
a  herd  of  ten  or  a  dozen  ponies  were  grazing 
lazily. 

The  children  who  had  brought  these  animals 
down  from  the  prairie  had  caught  two  of  the 
runaways  and  were  tethering  them  at  a  bow-shot 
from  the  camp.  Some  women  were  apparently 
cleaning  fish  upon  the  river's  bank.  Near  to 

200 


THE      PONY     STEALERS 

them  were  several  upturned  canoes.  Three 
men  were  lying  upon  the  grass,  and  one  of  them 
was  making  gestures  as  though  telling  a  story. 

It  was  startling  now  to  see  how  nearly  they 
had  come  to  running  plump  upon  these  people. 
Evidently  their  camp  had  been  newly  made,  else 
there  would  have  been  more  sign  about  to  give 
warning.  Zintkala  was  now  convinced  of  the 
wisdom  of  night  travel  along  this  river. 

For  a  time  the  voyagers  dared  not  talk  lest 
someone  might  be  near  at  hand.  At  length, 
however,  after  they  had  scanned  all  the  reaches 
below  and  noted  that  a  breeze  had  begun  to 
rustle  the  bushes  and  trees,  so  that  no  sound, 
not  even  of  pony  bells,  came  up  from  the  tepees, 
they  spoke  together  in  undertones. 

"Older  sister,"  said  Etapa,  "it  appears  that 
these  people  are  very  slothful.  I  think  that  they 
are  good-for-nothing  agency  Indians.  I  would 
not  be  afraid  to  steal  all  their  ponies,  and  I  think 
that  we  should  take  horses  of  them  to-night." 

Zintkala's  eyes  snapped  approval.  These 
people  were  certainly  a  silly  folk,  or  they  would 
not  allow  strangers  to  approach  so  near  to  their 
tepees  unnoted.  The  spirit  of  daring  seized 
upon  the  girl  and  she  spoke  in  eager  tones. 

"Let  us  do  so,  younger  brother,"  she  said.  "I 
will  assist  you  to  drive  away  their  ponies.  We 
shall  arrive  at  home  afterward  very  quickly." 

Thereafter  they  talked,  planning  with  enthu- 
201 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

siasm  a  night  campaign  against  the  sleepy  camp. 
After  a  time  they  saw  two  persons,  a  man  and  a 
woman,  plodding  along  the  river's  bank  directly 
below.  These  were  returning  leisurely  to  camp, 
and  the  woman  bent  under  a  back-load  of  large 
fish  which  she  had  strung  upon  a  willow  hoop. 
The  man  bore  a  spear  upon  his  shoulder  with  a 
single  small  fish  dangling  from  the  point. 

The  Sioux  children  marveled  that  they  had 
escaped  discovery.  Naturally  they  took  credit 
to  themselves  for  the  shrewd  caution  of  their 
march  along  the  river.  From  the  appearance  of 
their  tepees  and  the  fact  that  they  traveled  both 
by  canoe  and  travois  the  voyagers  judged  these 
Indians  to  be  Hohe,  Assiniboins  of  the  river, 
and  not  of  the  dry  plains.  They  were  of  the 
sort  who  dwelt  about  the  trading  posts  and 
agencies,  and  perhaps  some  were  of  mixed 
blood.  But  they  were  toka  (the  enemy),  and, 
therefore,  it  would  be  highly  honorable  to  take 
their  horses  from  them. 

So  the  young  Sioux  plotted  deeply.  They 
noted  every  movement  of  the  Hohe  camp. 
Before  nightfall  they  had  counted  the  inmates 
of  the  tepees,  the  number  of  dogs — there  were 
three — and  of  ponies  and  colts.  They  traced  in 
plan  every  foot  of  their  approach  to  the  pasture 
ground  from  a  detour  of  the  prairie  to  descent 
of  a  bush-grown  spur  of  the  coulee  and  a  wary 
retrograde  along  the  river's  edge. 

202 


THE      PONY     STEALERS 

They  had  still  a  store  of  hard  cooked,  stale 
venison,  enough  to  last  three  or  four  days  at  a 
pinch,  and  they  could  ride,  ride,  ride  until  hun- 
ger should  compel  a  halt.  They  ate  but  spar- 
ingly that  day  and  awaited  with  impatience  the 
slow  setting  of  the  sun. 

Yet  it  was  a  long  time  after  the  stars  appeared 
before  they  stirred  from  cover.  They  were 
rather  stiff  and  weary  from  long  lying  under  the 
low  vines  when  they  finally  ascended  to  the 
prairie. 

Upon  the  level  ground  they  sat  long  enough  to 
tie  their  blankets  and  all  the  articles  they  were 
to  carry  in  tight  rolls.  Etapa  included  bow, 
quiver  of  arrows  and  tomahawk  in  his  bundle. 
These  light  packs  they  secured  on  their  backs 
by  buckskin  strings  and  thongs. 

Thus  equipped  they  walked  around  to  a  spur 
of  bluff  which  was  perhaps  a  mile  below  the 
Assiniboin  camp.  Here  they  stopped  for  a  time. 
They  sat  upon  a  bare  spot  where  they  could 
study  all  the  darkened  spaces  of  the  coulee  and 
thus  fix  upon  lines  of  escape  should  discovery 
follow  their  undertaking. 

The  night  was  quite  dark,  with  only  starshine 
to  light  the  depths  of  the  river  gulch,  and  when 
the  two  had  reached  the  stream,  under  the 
shelter  of  its  fringe  of  bush  and  trees,  they  had 
little  fear  of  making  advance  toward  the  pony 
herd. 

203 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Though  they  walked  with  extreme  caution 
their  hearts  beat  high  with  expectancy. 

When,  in  the  growing  dusk,  they  had  last  seen 
the  Hone  ponies  they  were  scattered  upon  a 
narrow  strip  of  bottom  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  tepees.  Some  three  or  four  of  the 
leaders  were  tethered  to  long  picket  ropes. 
Unless  some  untoward  thing  should  happen  to 
arouse  the  camp  it  would  seem  a  matter  of  no 
difficulty  to  lead  these  ponies  away. 

From  tree  to  tree  and  bush  to  bush,  carefully 
they  approached  the  herd  ground.  At  last  as 
they  knew  by  a  certain  thick  cluster  of  young 
trees,  which  stood  near  the  river's  edge,  they 
should  have  come  opposite  the  tethered  ponies. 
Close  scrutiny  of  the  level  land  disclosed  only 
one  animal.  This  pony  was  grazing  but  a  little 
way  out  from  the  trees.  And  the  occasional 
tinkle  of  bells,  which  for  some  minutes  they  had 
been  noting  and  trying  to  locate,  now  sounded 
far  down  toward  the  camp,  even  below  it 
perhaps! 

This  was  very  discouraging,  for  those  belled 
ponies  had  been  tethered  right  there,  opposite 
the  trees.  Certainly  it  would  not  be  wise  to  go  to 
or  to  pass  the  camp  after  the  horses.  They  held 
a  whispered  consultation.  It  seemed  best  to 
take  this  one  horse,  which  they  could  do  with 
safety,  and  go  with  it.  They  had  buckskin 
enough  for  a  halter,  and  they  could  both  ride 

204 


THE      PONY     STEALERS 

the  animal  without  overburdening.  Perhaps 
the  Hohe  would  not  chase  a  great  way  for  just 
one  pony.  They  might  even  think  it  gone 
astray,  and,  where  there  were  so  many  tracks, 
be  led  to  search  at  random  up  and  down  the 
stream. 

So  they  quietly  walked  out  from  the  trees 
toward  this  animal,  which  they  supposed  to  be 
picketed;  for  doubtless  the  unruly  bell  ponies 
had  pulled  their  pins.  They  were  much  sur- 
prised when  the  lone  horse  kept  stepping  away 
in  their  front  and  feeding  on  toward  the  camp. 
The  animal  was  loose.  They  yet  hoped  to  catch 
it,  going  one  on  either  side  and  approaching 
carelessly.  But  the  pony  still  slipped  away,  feed- 
ing toward  the  Hohe  camp,  as  though  drawn  by 
a  magnet. 

Presently,  as  they  made  a  wide  circuit  to  get 
around  the  wary  one,  another  pony  appeared,  a 
small  one  lying  down.  This  one  arose  and  came 
toward  the  larger,  and  then  both  slipped  past 
the  children  and  melted  into  the  darkness. 

The  large  timber  below  the  tepees  now  showed 
tall  and  black,  and  from  where  they  stood  noth- 
ing could  be  seen  within  its  shadows.  The 
tinkle-tankle  of  bells  now  sounded  very  close.  It 
was  evident  that  those  old  run-abouts  were  pick- 
eted between  their  position  and  the  camp.  They 
listened  intently.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
heard  save  the  murmur  of  the  stream,  the  rustle 

205 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

of  tree  foliage,  the  jingle  of  the  bells,  and  the 
stamping  of  the  mosquito-bitten  ponies.  The 
horses  were  certainly  near  at  hand,  and  so  were 
the  Hohe  tepees.  The  campers  and  the  dogs 
were  evidently  sleeping. 

A  spirit  of  covetous  daring  had  come  upon  the 
young  Sioux.  They  simply  could  not  go  away 
and  leave  all  these  ponies  to  graze  undisturbed. 
They  came  near  together  and  Etapa  signified  by 
gesture  that  they  should  go  on,  cut  loose  the 
picketed  horses,  mount  and  drive  away  the  herd. 
Zintkala  put  aside  all  thought  of  peril  and 
agreed  to  the  plan. 

They  now  walked  forward,  going  around  the 
ponies  as  they  came  to  them.  They  went  on 
until  they  had  passed  all  the  horses  as  nearly  as 
they  could  reckon. 

Suddenly  a  dog  began  to  bark,  and  immedi- 
ately all  the  curs  they  had  seen  came  out  and  set 
up  the  familiar  ki-yi-yap  of  the  Indian  wolf-dog. 
Instead  of  running  away  the  young  Sioux  seated 
themselves  upon  the  grass  and  began  to  busy 
themselves  as  if  cleaning  fish  or  skinning  game. 
As  the  curs  continued  to  yelp  they  stretched 
themselves  in  the  bottom  grass  as  though  dis- 
posed to  sleep.  The  grass  was  tall  enough  to 
cover  their  bodies.  The  cowardly  dogs  did  not 
run  at  them,  but  continued  to  bark  and  howl 
around  the  tepees. 

Presently  a  man  came  out  and  spoke  to  the 

206 


THE      PONY     STEALERS 

dogs.  This  was  a  trying  moment.  Had  the  curs 
yelped  with  increased  excitement  and  run  at 
the  hiders,  like  good  watch  dogs,  discovery  and 
capture  must  have  inevitably  followed.  But 
they  were  Indian  dogs,  and  the  Dakota  boy 
and  girl  knew  their  ways.  When  the  man 
came  out  these  dogs  expected  to  be  kicked  or 
whipped  and,  while  still  yelping  and  howling, 
exerted  themselves  only  to  keep  out  of  harm's 
way.  In  the  end  the  Indian  ran  at  them 
throwing  sticks  and  shouting  angrily  until  the 
pack  had  scurried  into  the  woods. 

In  the  midst  of  this  excitement  Zintkala  and 
Etapa  crawled  away  and  approached  the  nearest 
tethered  pony.  The  stolid  animal,  having  seen 
them  all  the  time,  payed  them  no  attention. 
Etapa  cut  its  picket  rope  and  the  two  crawled 
slowly  on  to  the  length  of  the  string.  There 
they  sat  in  the  grass  for  a  long  time,  letting  the 
ponies  get  used  to  their  presence,  and  waiting 
for  the  people  and  dogs  to  fall  asleep  again. 

They  waited  till  a  faint  light  above  a  western 
bluff  warned  them  that  the  moon  was  rising. 
Then  they  led  their  captive  gently  forward  to 
where  the  second  pony  was  picketed.  At  the 
same  time  they  gradually  moved  the  loose 
ponies  before  them.  They  wished  to  leave  no 
chance  of  pursuit  behind. 

Adroitly,  almost  inch  by  inch,  the  little  bunch 
of  Hohe  ponies  faded  away  from  their  picket 

207 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

grounds.  Before  the  cunning  "rustlers"  had 
passed  the  point  of  descent  a  misshapen  moon, 
which  perhaps  the  mice  had  gnawed,  was  look- 
ing over  the  river  bluff  and  into  the  coulee. 

Suddenly  an  incautious  voice  was  heard  in  the 
rear,  the  voice  of  a  man,  who  had  heard  the  fad- 
ing tinkle  of  bells,  and  who  supposed  the  ponies 
had  pulled  their  picket  pins  and  were  wander- 
ing off. 

"Sohe-e!  Sohe-e!  Ksook-ksook!"  the  man 
called  in  a  remonstrant  resonant  voice,  which 
filled  all  the  coulee  behind. 

They  did  not  wait  to  look  back,  but  mounted 
their  lead  animals  and  whirling  their  rope  ends 
dashed  upon  the  herd  in  their  front.  The  crack- 
ing strokes,  the  sharp  "huh-huh-huh!"  of  their 
urging  quickly  set  the  small  bunch  of  ponies  off 
at  a  gallop.  Once  they  got  going  it  was  easy  to 
make  them  go  faster.  In  a  minute  or  two  they 
had  swept  around  a  point  of  bluff,  up  a  coulee 
descent,  and  out  upon  the  illimitable  prairie. 


208 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE  GRIEF   OF   FIRE   CLOUD   AND 
CRANE'S  CRY 

The  same  grass-growing  moon,  which  saw  the 
little  voyagers  launched  upon  the  prairie  country, 
brought  the  first  news  of  their  capture  to  Fire 
Cloud's  village  of  Oglalas. 

As  the  warm  days  had  come  on  and  the  grass 
was  making  good  feed,  Fire  Cloud  had  said  to 
his  wife,  Pehan-ho-win  or  Crane's  Cry,  "After  a 
little  time  now  we  shall  pack  the  travois  and  go 
to  your  relatives  at  the  Missouri  River.  There 
we  shall  visit  until  the  buffalo  killing.  I  shall 
send  for  our  children,  and  they  shall  remain  with 
us  during  two  moons." 

Then  Crane's  Cry  was  glad.  The  heart  of  the 
mother  sang  within  her.  Two  little  sloe-eyed 
girls  also  were  delighted.  Although  it  seemed  to 
them  a  great  age  since  older  sister  and  brother 
had  been  taken  from  home,  the  little  ones  ran 
off  to  some  sand  hills  to  chatter  their  joy  and  to 
play  at  "drag-the-travois"  on  a  trail  to  the  muddy 
river. 

And  the  happy  Sioux  mother  immediately  set 
to  work  to  prepare  for  meeting  her  children. 
She  had  many  things  to  do.  She  had  wished  to 
make  clothing  for  her  absent  ones  and  not  that 

209 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

the  missionaries  should  clothe  them.  Now  that 
she  was  to  have  them  with  her  for  a  time  she 
would  make  them  many  garments.  During  the 
summer,  too,  she  would  make  them  beautifully 
beaded  moccasins.  Her  dear  little  daughter 
should  have  a  valuable  dress  of  the  finest  fawn- 
skin,  with  shield  and  sleeves  done  in  stained 
porcupine  quills,  and  with  many  bright  colored 
fringes  upon  the  skirt.  And  Etapa,  her  mimic, 
the  story-teller,  her  stout-hearted  little  hunter, 
whose  sturdy  voice  every  day  rang  in  her  ears — 
how  her  heart  laughed  at  thought  of  him! 
Well,  he  should  have  a  war-bonnet,  not  a 
mimic  head  dress,  but  a  real  bonnet  with  feathers 
trailing  to  his  heels. 

With  deep  interest  and  dancing  heart  the 
mother  undid  her  bundles  and  parfleches  of  fine 
skins  and  ornamental  work.  And  she  joyfully 
called  in  a  young  married  sister,  who  was  deft  at 
making  designs  and  patterns,  to  assist  her  in 
planning  the  various  garments.  The  sister  was 
only  too  happy  to  be  of  use  in  her  favorite  pas- 
time, and  Crane's  Cry's  tepee  was  speedily  con- 
verted into  a  workshop,  which  might  be  said  to 
combine  tailoring,  dress-making  and  millinery 
with  fancy  work. 

As  the  days  went  by  her  two  little  brown  girls 
watched  with  delight  the  growth  of  gorgeous 
garments.  And  there  was  no  envy  in  the  hearts 

of  these  well-dressed  mites,  who  dearly  loved 

210 


THE    GRIEF   OF    FIRE    CLOUD 

their  tanke  and  sunkaku.  Whatever  the  Sioux 
father  may  have  thought  of  these  things  he  said 
nothing.  He  was  apparently  content  that  his 
wife  should  find  happiness  in  working  for  her 
children. 

Matters  were  thus  in  Fire  Cloud's  tepee  when 
the  day  drew  near  that  he  began  to  think  of 
taking  the  trail  to  eastward.  He  sat  upon  the 
ground  at  midday  and  smoked  and  meditated. 
Quiet  had  settled  upon  his  village.  Men  were 
lying  about  asleep  or  reclined  upon  the  grass 
lazily  playing  at  simple  games  of  chance. 
Women  gossiped  in  low  tones  within  their 
open  tepees.  Many  children  were  wading  or 
swimming  in  the  shallow  river,  which  ran  over  a 
gravel  bed  near  at  hand.  Across  the  stream, 
upon  a  flat  bottom  and  upon  the  hill  slopes 
beyond,  large  herds  of  ponies  dotted  the  sur- 
face. Some  were  grazing,  a  large  number  lay 
at  full-fed  ease.  Upon  a  high  point  above  these 
a  man  stood  erect,  a  pigmy  figure  etched  upon 
the  deep  blue  of  a  June  sky. 

The  eyes  of  this  watcher  were  keen  and  far- 
seeing,  and  the  scope  of  his  vision  the  limit  of 
their  range  upon  the  levels.  Presently  this  man 
picked  up  a  blanket  at  his  feet  and  whirled  it 
three  times  about  his  head  with  a  peculiar  circu- 
lar motion.  Then  he  waved  it  up  and  down 
once,  and  once  from  east  to  west.  Immediately 
a  man  in  the  village  cried  that  the  scout  was  sig- 

211 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

naling  the  approach  of  a  single  runner  coming 
from  the  east  and  that  the  courier  was  on  horse- 
back with  two  lead  ponies. 

This  news  put  the  people  on  the  qui  vive. 
Some  of  their  own  young  men  had  gone  among 
the  pine  coulees  to  hunt  the  deer  that  morning, 
but  none  of  them  had  taken  more  than  a  single 
horse,  so  they  knew  that  a  stranger  was  coming. 
A  stranger  with  two  pack  animals  must  have 
come  from  a  long  distance,  and  thus  might  be 
bearer  of  important  tidings. 

As  with  other  folk,  there  is  nothing  of  greater 
interest  to  the  Indians  than  news  from  abroad, 
or  from  distant  relatives.  The  arrival  of  a 
runner  from  another  town  is  an  event  in  village 
life,  and  if  he  has  some  stirring  narrative  of  a 
war  expedition,  of  some  successful  or  disastrous 
exploit,  or  if  he  bring  news  that  the  buffalo  are 
uncommonly  plentiful  in  the  country  from 
whence  he  has  traveled,  there  will  be  a  new  date 
in  the  tribal  calendar,  a  fresh  entry  that  will  de- 
termine the  name  of  that  year's  "winter  count." 

But  Indians  do  not  often  run  to  meet  the  news 
bearer  nor  show,  as  a  rule,  any  outward  interest 
in  his  arrival.  Although  he  well  knows  that  his 
approach  has  been  noted  from  afar,  and  that 
news  of  his  arrival  is  spread  in  the  village,  the 
newcomer  will  see  no  evidence  of  the  undercur- 
rent of  excitement  which  his  coming  has  set  in 
motion. 

212 


THE    GRIEF    OF    FIRE    CLOUD 

When  the  man  with  three  ponies  descended 
into  the  river  valley  and  dismounted  in  the  out- 
skirts of  this  Oglala  village  to  picket  his  animals 
there  was  no  one  at  hand  to  make  curious 
inquiry.  No  one  seemed  to  take  note  of 
him  as  he  walked,  very  straight,  with  a  blanket 
over  one  shoulder,  in  among  the  tepees.  He 
was  a  man  of  middle  age,  with  a  keen  sharp 
face,  scarred  cheek  and  thin  figure,  and  sev- 
eral furtive  pairs  of  eyes  recognized  him 
for  a  soldier  of  the  Wapetonwan — Cut-Face, 
who  had  fought  a  duel  with  two  Ojibwas  and 
who  bore  in  consequence  a  number  of  knife 
scars. 

In  a  very  brief  time  this  man  discovered  the 
tepee  of  Fire  Cloud  and  walked  straight  to 
where  its  chief  was  sitting  upon  a  grass  plat. 
He  had  news  for  which  there  could  be  no  cere- 
monial delays.  "How,  my  cousin,"  he  greeted, 
"I  have  been  glad  to  find  you  here.  I  am  come 
to  bring  you  bad  news.  Your  children  were 
taken  by  the  Hohe.  They  went  away  from 
those  white  people,  and  were  coming  homeward 
and  thus  the  Hohe  took  them." 

"My  children  are  dead!"  said  the  chief  with 
conviction.  He  had  not  stirred  as  the  messen- 
ger spoke,  but  his  face  had  undergone  a  subtle 
change.  It  had  suddenly  become  shrunken  and 
thin,  and  his  eyes  were  turned  inward.  Inside 
his  tepee  a  little  smothered  exclamation,  a  sharp 

213 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

catching  of  breath,  told  that  Crane's  Cry  had 
heard  her  husband  speak. 

Then  the  father  bowed  his  head  upon  his 
breast  and  the  mother  fell  face  downward  in  her 
tepee,  and  so  lay  as  one  dead,  while  the  runner 
sat  upon  the  ground  and  told  his  story. 

The  children  of  Fire  Cloud  had  fled  from  the 
mission,  he  said,  during  the  dry-grass  moon.  Men 
had  been  sent  to  trail  them,  and  had  come  back 
after  five  suns,  saying  that  the  Assiniboins  had 
carried  the  children  northward.  These  men  had 
been  too  few  to  follow  and  attack  so  large  a 
party.  The  Indians  at  Traverse  des  Sioux  were 
not  agreed  as  to  what  should  be  done,  but  the 
missionaries  had  hired  a  young  man  to  go  to 
Fire  Cloud's  village  with  the  news. 

This  runner  had  come  as  far  as  the  Missouri, 
and  there  learning  that  the  Pawnees  were  hunt- 
ing to  westward,  had  tarried  at  a  Brule  town, 
not  daring  to  go  on.  This  young  man  had  acted 
very  badly.  He  had  stayed  all  winter  among 
the  Brules,  who  told  him  that  they  did  not  see 
that  anything  could  be  done  to  recover  captives 
taken  to  such  a  far  country  among  enemies  so 
powerful.  This  unfaithful  runner  had  not  come 
in  at  Traverse  des  Sioux  until  the  grass  had 
started,  when  he,  Cut-Face,  who  had  been  away 
from  home  in  autumn,  had  packed  his  own 
ponies  and  traveled  very  fast  to  inform  his 
cousin  of  the  evil  thing  which  had  befallen. 

214 


THE    GRIEF    OF    FIRE    CLOUD 

"I  am  a  broken  man,"  said  Fire  Cloud  at  the 
close  of  this  recital.  "I  have  done  wrong,  and 
Waniyan  Tanka  has  punished  me.  Etapa  is  no 
more.  My  daughter  is  dead — henceforth  there 
is  nothing." 

"I  have  yet  something  to  say,"  said  the  mes- 
senger. "The  Dakotas  of  the  agency  will  make 
war  soon.  They  will  destroy  those  who  have 
taken  our  lands.  Petit  Corbeau  of  the  Wape- 
ku-ton-wan  has  sent  to  ask  if  the  Oglalas  will 
assist  in  this  war.  I  will  not  talk  further  to-day." 
And  the  messenger  arose  abruptly  and  left  the 
father  to  his  grief. 

Fire  Cloud  passed  into  his  tepee.  His  wife 
yet  lay  as  one  dead  with  her  face  to  the  earth. 
She  had  heard  all,  and  hope  was  gone  out  of 
her.  His  little  ones  were  away  at  play.  The 
man  stood  motionless  inside  his  lodge  for  a  time. 
Then,  wishing  to  be  alone,  he  blackened  his  face, 
drew  his  blanket  around  him,  and  passed  out 
and  walked  far  away  from  his  village. 

Quickly  the  news  spread  throughout  the 
encampment.  People  did  not  speak  to  the  chief 
as  he  went  out  from  them.  They  did  not  go  to 
his  tepee,  for  they  respected  the  grief  of  Fire 
Cloud  and  Crane's  Cry.  They  said,  "Lo,  our 
friends  are  deeply  affected.  After  a  time  we 
shall  go  mourn  with  them." 

The  sister  of  Crane's  Cry  took  her  brother-in- 
law's  little  girls  into  her  own  tepee.  Gently  she 

215 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

told  them  of  their  loss  and  that  they  must  abide 
with  her  for  a  time.  The  broken-hearted  wails 
of  these  little  ones  were  the  first  sounds  of  griev- 
ing for  the  lost  Zintkala  and  Etapa.  The  chil- 
dren's open  grieving,  however,  was  hushed,  long 
ere  that  of  the  stunned  mother  began. 

During  three  suns  Fire  Cloud  stayed  out  alone 
upon  the  prairie.  He  sat  under  his  blanket  fast- 
ing and  praying.  At  night  he  stood  upon  a  high 
hill  that  the  spirits  of  the  upper  world  might  see 
him  and  thus  consider  as  to  whether  his  prayers 
should  be  answered.  He  desired  to  go  against 
the  enemy,  and  that,  in  fighting  them,  he  should 
meet  an  honorable  death. 

When  darkness  came  on  also  Crane's  Cry  and 
her  immediate  relatives  retired  to  a  hilltop, 
where  they  bewailed  the  lost  ones.  Crane's  Cry 
wore  a  black  blanket  and  put  earth  and  ashes 
upon  her  head.  She  cried  continually  during  the 
night,  and  in  daylight  lay  upon  the  floor  of  her 
tepee  with  her  face  in  ashes. 

With  most  Indians  the  captivity  of  their  chil- 
dren, without  hope  of  rescue, — and  there  seldom 
is  such  hope — is  a  calamity  more  bitter  even 
than  death.  For  the  children  will,  if  not  put  to 
the  torture,  be  reared  as  strangers  and  enemies. 
They  are  known  no  more  to  their  own  people, 
and  therefore  they  are  dead,  and  it  is  thus  that 
their  relatives  speak  and  think  of  them. 

When  his  period  of  fasting  and  prayer  had 

216 


THE    GRIEF    OF    FIRE    CLOUD 

expired  by  exhaustion,  Fire  Cloud  returned  to 
his  tepee  and  ate  meat. 

On  the  following  day  he  attended  a  council  of 
the  Oglalas,  who  were  met  to  consider  the  mes- 
sage of  Little  Crow,  chief  of  the  Minnesota 
Sioux.  This  man  who  had  proven  his  quality  as 
a  leader  was  planning  a  war  against  the  settle- 
ments, which  had  pushed  his  Indians  off  their 
prairies,  and  because  the  Great  Father  at  Wash- 
ington had  failed  to  keep  his  people  from 
starving.  This  soldier  asked  the  Oglalas 
whether  they  would  join  him  in  the  fighting, 
and  he  had  urged  strongly  that  they  should  do  so. 

Many  Oglala  soldiers  spoke  at  this  meeting 
which  debated  the  matter  for  several  days. 
Some  talked  in  favor  of  going  with  their  breth- 
ren in  the  war,  others  opposed  the  plan  alto- 
gether. Fire  Cloud,  though  nominally  outrank- 
ing any  present,  was  one  of  the  last  to  speak. 
His  speech  is  preserved  to  this  day  in  the 
traditional  lore  of  his  people.  It  ran  as  follows: 

"My  friends,  you  see  in  me  a  desolate  man. 
The  light  is  gone  out  of  my  tepee.  I  am  as  one 
who  walks  alone  and  in  darkness.  When  I  reach 
out  my  hand  to  touch  those  who  should  be  my 
support  when  the  hairs  are  white,  they  are  gone. 
My  children  are  dead,  and  I  am  punished  for  my 
folly  in  sending  them  to  be  taught  by  the  ene- 
mies of  my  race.  Henceforth  there  are  only  the 
garments  of  mourning  in  my  lodge. 

217 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"Hitherto  I  have  not  talked  in  this  council  of 
wise  men.  I  have  said  in  my  heart,  'My  people 
know  better  than  I  what  should  be  done.  Let 
them,  therefore,  decide.'  I  have  listened  to  what 
has  been  said.  Some  of  my  partisans  have 
spoken  well,  and  I  have  considered.  I  know  this 
soldier  of  the  Wapekutas  (Little  Crow),  and  I 
have  listened  to  the  words  he  has  spoken  by  the 
mouth  of  Cut-Face.  The  man  is  brave,  but  he  is 
very  foolish.  Doubtless  he  and  his  soldiers  will 
kill  some  white  people,  and  we  shall  lose  a 
larger  piece  of  land  in  consequence. 

"Listen,  my  friends,  my  partisans,  and  ye  old 
people.  The  white  soldiers  are  as  the  gnats 
which  sting  at  sunset.  As  fast  as  we  shall  kill 
some,  others  will  come,  bringing  a  greater  com- 
pany, to  suck  the  blood  from  our  veins.  Already 
they  have  taken  the  best  portion  of  our  posses- 
sions. Now  we  shall  lift  our  tomahawks  and  by 
our  folly  ask  them  to  come  and  finish  despoiling 
us!  My  friends,  you  have  all  seen  the  wounded 
bull  turn  upon  the  hunters.  He  might  withhold 
himself  and  escape,  but  he  wishes  to  inflict  an 
injury  and  so  dies.  I  think  the  Dakotas  are  like 
this  bull.  They  destroy  themselves  in  wishing 
to  gore  the  enemy.  When  they  have  caused  the 
white  people  to  strike  us  in  Minnesota  and  to 
pursue  us  hither,  and  when  these  have  burned 
our  towns  and  scattered  our  numbers,  then  shall 
our  enemies,  the  Hohe,  the  Crows,  and  the  Scili 

218 


THE    GRIEF    OF    FIRE    CLOUD 

come  to  pick  the  bones  which  the  Great  Father's 
soldiers  shall  leave  behind  them. 

"Heretofore  I  have  said  it  is  foolish  to  fight 
the  white  people.  I  will  not  now  go  to  seek  them, 
but  if  they  shall  come  after  me  whither  I  am 
going  I  shall  fight  them.  I  desire  greatly  to  give 
my  body  to  the  enemy  that  when  my  arm  is  tired 
striking  he  shall  count  coup  upon  it.  But  I  will 
strike  at  the  Hohe,  who  have  despoiled  me  of 
my  children.  These  fighters  of  their  kind  and 
eaters  of  their  own  offspring  I  wish  to  cut  off 
from  harassing  my  people.  I  will  not  take  part 
in  Little  Crow's  war.  I  will  go  to  the  Bad 
Lands  and  make  a  stronghold,  and  there  I  will 
fight  any  who  come  against  me.  I  desire  that 
my  partisans  and  my  soldiers  and  their  people 
shall  follow  me.  I  have  spoken  my  thoughts." 

This  speech  was  effective  in  causing  the 
Oglalas  to  reject  Little  Crow's  overtures.  In 
the  end  a  number  of  villages  of  the  western 
Sioux  packed  the  travois  and  followed  Fire 
Cloud. 


219 


CHAPTER   XXI 
A  STRANGE   BUFFALO 

For  nearly  three  days,  and  riding  much  at 
night,  the  little  voyagers  had  traveled  over  a 
prairie  country  to  the  southwest.  When  they 
had  secured  ponies  they  had  no  further  thought 
of  going  up  the  Red  River  to  the  agencies, 
where  people  might  be  fighting,  and  themselves 
again  be  taken  by  the  enemy. 

One  by  one,  from  sheer  exhaustion,  the  ponies 
had  dropped  out  of  their  captured  band,  until 
there  only  remained  the  two  strongest  and  swift- 
est which  they  had  finally  selected  to  ride. 
There  had  probably  been  no  pursuit,  because 
there  could  be  none,  and  the  travelers  had  seen 
no  person,  white  or  red,  to  cause  them  alarm. 

While  they  were  unable  to  point  out  exactly 
the  direction  in  which  lay  their  own  country,  they 
knew  that  they  must  travel  south  and  west,  and 
finally  further  west  than  south,  and  that,  keeping 
to  that  general  course,  they  must  come  to  the 
Missouri  River. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  riding,  at  probably  more 
than  two  hundred  miles  from  the  starting  point, 
ponies  and  riders  were  sadly  in  need  of  rest. 

Their  food  had  given  out  and  the  children  had 

now  to  collect  a  fresh  supply. 

220 


A      STRANGE      BUFFALO 

They  stopped  before  midday  among  some 
coteaus,  where  there  was  a  long  marshy  lake,  and 
a  breeding  ground  for  geese,  ducks,  sand-hill 
cranes,  curlews  and  other  birds.  Many  young 
of  the  land  birds  were  just  feathering  out,  and 
could  not  fly. 

When  they  had  watered  and  picketed  their 
horses  and  slept  for  a  time,  the  brother  and 
sister  set  out  to  chase  these  young  birds.  It  was 
not  easy  to  get  them,  for  they  began  running  at 
the  instant  of  alarm,  and  it  was  well  nigh  impos- 
sible to  hit  them  with  bow  and  arrow.  Catching 
them  was  simply  a  matter  of  the  swifter  pair  of 
legs  or  the  greater  endurance.  Now  that  the 
children  had  gained  rest  and  sleep  they  enjoyed 
the  sport.  A  couple  of  ungainly  young  cranes 
gave  them  a  hot  chase  across  a  wide  stretch  of 
corn-stalk  grass.  The  legs  of  the  pursuers  were 
frequently  tangled,  and  they  fell  over  unseen 
bogs  whooping  with  laughter  and  shouting 
encouragement  to  each  other.  The  cranes  had 
nearly  escaped  by  running  out  upon  a  miry  piece 
of  ground  and  coming  to  a  stand,  when  Etapa 
swam  a  bayou  to  a  stony  bank,  and  caused  them 
to  run  into  the  grass  again  by  throwing  pebbles 
at  them.  The  birds  were  finally  captured  and, 
as  they  were  nearly  half  grown,  fat,  and  heavy 
of  breast,  the  young  hunters  had  reason,  as 
they  did,  to  lug  them  to  their  camp  in  triumph. 
They  also  caught  some  young  curlews-  which 

221 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

furnished  them  with  all  the  meat  they  could  eat 
at  one  time,  and  this  was  no  small  quantity. 

They  had  made  a  mighty  march,  and  they 
knew  they  had  no  longer  to  fear  pursuit  from 
the  men  they  had  despoiled  of  horses.  They 
had  thus  far  scarcely  given  themselves  time  to 
talk,  so  fast  they  had  ridden  and  so  sore  and 
overcome  with  sleep  were  they  when  they  halted. 

But  now,  full-fed,  and  having  shed  weariness, 
they  were  filled  with  elation  and  chattered  like  a 
pair  of  magpies.  They  had  each  an  excellent 
riding  pony,  and  with  the  Sioux  love  of  horses, 
they  took  delight  in  recounting  the  good  points 
of  their  animals.  Zintkala's  pony  was  of  a 
creamy  buckskin  color,  with  black  mane  and 
tail,  markings  much  admired  by  the  plains 
Indians.  The  one  Etapa  rode  was  a  "calico," 
spotted  red  and  white,  and  both  were  hardy 
runners  of  undeniable  wind. 

The  children  enjoyed  in  advance  the  sensation 
they  would  create  when  they  should  ride  into 
their  Oglala  town  and  tell  how  they  had  taken 
these  ponies  from  the  Hohe.  In  this  happy  per- 
spective they  quite  lost  sight  of  the  significance 
of  their  own  home-coming.  The  ponies  were 
now  all  they  had  room  for  in  their  thoughts. 
They  had  already  named  the  animals,  Sunka- 
ska,  White  Dog,  and  Wicarpi-kin-sa,  Red  Stars. 
They  spent  the  balance  of  the  afternoon  in 
securely  picketing  and  admiring  these  four-foots. 

222 


A      STRANGE      BUFFALO 

There  was  a  patch  of  dry  willows  near  at  hand, 
which  made  excellent  fires  with  almost  no 
smoke.  There  was  also  a  knoll,  or  small  butte, 
which  commanded  a  wide  reach  of  plain,  and 
from  its  top  they  could  scan  the  prairie 
stretches  for  a  long  distance.  As  there  was 
good  water  and  grass  and  plenty  of  game  they 
decided  to  camp  for  two  suns  at  this  place.  In 
this  time  they  proposed  to  catch  and  cure  enough 
meat  to  last  them  until  they  should  reach  home. 
They  also  wished  to  make  girths,  "catch-ons," 
and  pack -straps  for  their  blankets,  which  they 
had  inconveniently  used,  folded  twice,  as  saddles. 
For  this  purpose,  and  in  making  bridle-halters, 
they  used  the  remainder  of  their  stock  of  buck- 
skins. 

On  the  second  day  of  their  stay  at  this  camp 
they  had  fine  sport  catching  birds.  They  were 
now  reinvigorated,  and  could  follow  the  chase 
with  both  zest  and  endurance.  Spring  had  come 
on  early  and  warm  in  this  region,  and  the  young 
of  every  sort  of  birds  were  advanced  in  growth. 

The  pursuit  of  young  cranes  was  especially 
exciting,  and  there  were  numerous  families  of 
them,  scattered  among  the  low  hills.  Some  of 
these  were  nearly  ready  for  flight.  These  were 
strong,  swift  runners,  but  when  closely  pressed, 
they  would  flap  their  half-feathered  wings  to  the 
hindrance  of  their  legs,  and  so  make  fun  for 
the  hunters.  While  the  children  were  running 

223 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

them,  too,  the  old  cranes  would  fly  about  trum- 
peting crazily,  and  so  add  much  to  the  excite- 
ment. 

In  chase  of  the  cranes  the  voyagers  found 
themselves  at  midday  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  their  camp.  They  had  made  several  cap- 
tures, and  were  returning  laden  when,  in  crossing 
a  low  ridge,  at  one  end  of  the  marsh  lake,  they 
saw  what  they  supposed  to  be  a  buffalo 
approaching. 

Etapa  was  first  to  see  the  humped  creature 
shuffling  along  with  head  down,  apparently  much 
exhausted. 

"Hoye,  Tanke,"  he  cried.  "Look,  yonder  is  a 
bull  coming.  I  think  he  has  come  from  a  coun- 
try where  there  is  no  water,  and  he  is  very  poor 
and  weak." 

Zintkala  looked  at  the  ambling  creature  with 
interest.  Her  eyes  were  as  keen  and  sometimes 
more  observing  than  the  boy's. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  said,  "I  do  not  think 
that  is  a  buffalo.  This  one  coming  does  not 
appear  to  have  horns." 

"Whi,  Tanke,  how  foolish!"  exclaimed  the 
lad.  "Look  what  a  long  distance  he  is  coming." 

"It  appears,  however,  that  I  can  see  the  legs," 
persisted  the  sister,  and  this  answer  won  the 
point  of  inserting  doubt  into  the  brother's  mind. 

"Let  us  sit  up  on  this;high  ground  and  wait," 
said  Etapa.  "At  any  rate  I  am  tired."  They 

224- 


A      STRANGE      BUFFALO 

deposited  their  long-legged  birds,  and  squatted 
comfortably  with  crossed  legs.  As  it  appeared 
evident  that  the  creature  approaching  was  a 
four-foot,  coming  to  the  lake  for  water,  they 
had  no  fear  in  sitting  to  let  it  pass  near  at 
hand. 

Before  they  could  decide  as  to  whether  it  were 
a  buffalo  or  a  tall  and  hornless  elk  the  object  of 
their  curiosity  dropped  out  of  sight  upon  lower 
ground.  But  it  must  pass — to  reach  water — over 
the  ridge  upon  which  they  sat,  and  so  they 
waited,  talking  and  watching.  When  the  plod- 
ding creature  came  within  sight  again  it  was 
mounting  the  ridge  near  at  hand.  A  single 
glance  showed  a  brown  pony  with  a  man  upon 
its  back  and  lying  forward  with  an  arm  grasping 
its  neck. 

A  moment  of  wild  alarm  followed  this  discov- 
ery, but  native  instinct  saved  the  voyagers  from 
taking  to  their  heels.  If  a  cunning  maneuver 
had  been  planned  its  success  was  already  certain. 

They  arose  with  palpitating  hearts  and  stood 
awaiting  the  man's  approach.  They  were  quickly 
relieved  of  any  feeling  of  fear.  As  horse  and 
rider  drew  near  it  was  evident  that  the  man  was 
either  sick  or  wounded,  that  his  lying  upon  his 
pony's  back  was  not  a  ruse,  but  of  necessity. 

He  raised  his  head  feebly,  showing  an  emaci- 
ated face,  and  waved  a  hand  in  token  of  amity. 
"How,  how,  cola,"  he  managed  to  ejaculate,  as 

225 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

his  animal  halted,  fronting  the  little  voyagers. 
They  looked  at  the  stranger,  pityingly,  quickly 
forgetting  their  fears.  He  was  evidently  a 
Dakota  and  in  great  distress. 

Painfully  the  man  raised  himself  upon  his 
small  flat  saddle.  He  was  half  naked,  having 
on  only  a  pair  of  leggins  and  worn  moccasins 
for  clothing.  His  hollow  cheeks,  sunken  eyes 
and  prominent  ribs  spoke  of  great  suffering  from 
wounds  or  illness. 

"My  children,"  said  this  man,  "you  see  me 
about  to  die.  I  desire  to  be  led  to  the  tepees  of 
your  people." 

The  voyagers  were  appalled  at  the  soldier's 
need,  and  they  stood  hesitating  and  abashed  for 
a  moment.  They  knew  now  that  he  had  seen 
them  from  a  distance,  and  that  he  had  turned  to 
them  for  help,  supposing  they  could  lead  him  to 
a  camp  of  their  people  where  there  were  doctors 
or  medicine  men.  It  is  very  embarrassing  for  an 
Indian,  young  or  old,  to  lay  bare  his  poverty  of 
resources  when  appealed  to  for  aid. 

Etapa  essayed  to  speak,  but  stammered  pain- 
fully. Zintkala  answered  the  stricken  man  at 
length,  speaking  simply  and  earnestly. 

"It  is  very  bad  that  we  have  no  tepee.  We 
are  trying  to  go  back  to  our  country  whence  we 
were  taken.  We  are  taking  meat  to  the  place 
where  we  are  stopping.  I  will  cook  some  for 
you,"  she  said. 

226 


A      STRANGE      BUFFALO 

"Lead  ye  thither,"  said  the  stranger.  "I  may 
yet  go  a  little  distance." 

That  they  might  not  go  before  him,  but  fol- 
low, Zintkala  pointed  out  the  high  knoll  which 
stood  above  their  camp.  "It  is  there  we  are 
curing  meat,"  she  said.  "The  hill  is  very  near." 

"Good,"  said  the  stranger.  "I  wish  to  die  at 
that  place,  and  that  ye  shall  cover  my  body  with 
stones." 


227 


CHAPTER   XXII 

A  WARRIOR'S  DEATH 

Walking  behind  the  stricken  rider,  who  again 
leaned  forward  upon  his  pony's  neck,  the  little 
voyagers  saw  that  this  man  was  a  warrior  return- 
ing from  the  enemy's  country.  The  man  had 
three  scalp-locks  securely  tied  to  his  belt.  Slung 
to  his  saddle  were  a  short  rifle,  a  large  powder 
horn  and  bullet  pouch  and  his  blanket  roll,  and 
he  carried  a  long  knife,  with  a  deer's  horn  handle 
and  iron  guards,  in  a  sheath.  It  appeared  also 
that  he  was  wounded  badly  in  one  thigh,  which 
seemed  to  be  much  swollen. 

When  they  had  arrived  at  their  camp  by  the 
willows  the  sick  man  asked  for  water,  and  Zint- 
kala  immediately  ran  to  the  lake  and  filled  her 
basin.  The  man  drank  eagerly  all  she  brought, 
and  again  she  filled  the  dish  for  him.  When  he 
had  quenched  his  burning  thirst  the  stranger 
seemed  a  little  revived.  He  still  remained  sitting 
on  his  pony,  steadying  himself  by  clinging  to  his 
saddle.  His  eyes  wandered  restlessly  about. 
He  seemed  unwilling  to  dismount  at  that  spot 
and  the  children  stood  waiting,  much  distressed 
in  mind  that  their  camp  did  not  seem  to  please 
the  sick  warrior.  He  had  appealed  to  them  and 
thus  established  a  claim  upon  them  for  all  the 

228 


A      W   A   R   R   I   O    R'S      DEATH 

aid  they  were  able  to  render.  He  could  have 
two  blankets  to  lie  upon,  meat  and  soup  to  eat; 
they  had,  in  their  poverty,  nothing  else. 

The  man's  eyes  rested  at  last  upon  the  stony 
knoll  above  their  camp,  and  his  face  began  to 
show  animation. 

"Ho,  my  children,"  he  said,  "assist  ye  me  hith- 
erward.  It  is  good  that  I  should  die  upon  that 
hill." 

Glad  to  render  aid,  even  in  such  melancholy 
state,  Etapa  and  Zintkala  did  as  they  were 
directed  in  helping  to  mount  the  butte.  At  the 
crest  where  there  was  a  flat  rim,  like  a  cap  to  the 
hill,  it  was  necessary  for  one  to  pull  and  one  to 
push  in  order  to  enable  the  weakened  pony  to 
climb. 

Upon  the  top  of  the  hill  were  many  boulders 
and  broken  stones;  at  one  place  and  at  the  high- 
est point  there  was  a  heap  of  loose  stones,  which 
appeared  to  have  been  anciently  collected  for  a 
purpose,  perhaps  to  serve  as  a  sign  in  the 
Indian  signal  service.  The  warrior's  hollow 
face  lightened  and  his  eyes  shone  as  he  looked 
upon  this  so  fitting  place  to  die. 

"How,  my  children,  this  is  indeed  very  good. 
Build  ye  a  heap  of  stones  that  I  may  sit  looking 
upon  my  country." 

Perfectly  understanding  his  wishes  the  children 
hastened  to  obey.  They  rolled  a  large  boulder 
out  upon  the  scattered  pile  and  faced  its  square 

229 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

side  to  the  east.  Upon  this  they  laid  some  flat 
stones  and  piled  others  behind  for  support. 
They  then  arranged  a  ridge  of  stones  on  either 
side  the  heap,  parallel  with  the  boulder's  flat  sur- 
face, and  thus  made  a  resting  place  and  laid  a 
foundation  for  the  warrior's  tomb.  Inside  this 
niche  they  spread  his  two  blankets,  one  folded 
over  the  boulder,  that  he  might  rest  his  back  and 
head. 

"Waste!"  exclaimed  the  sick  one,  evidently 
well  content  with  their  labors.  They  now 
assisted  him  to  dismount,  and  saw  that  he  could 
not  use  one  leg  or  stand  without  help.  It 
must,  indeed,  have  been  a  long  time  since  he 
had  been  off  his  horse.  It  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  he  was  put  into  position  upon  his 
blankets,  and  for  some  time  he  sat  gasping  for 
breath  and  sternly  repressing  any  other  expres- 
sion of  pain. 

Children  as  they  were,  Zintkala  and  Etapa 
saw  that  this  man's  time  was  drawing  near. 
Presently  he  again  asked  for  water,  and  Zint- 
kala ran  to  fetch  it.  She  knew  now  that  the 
man  was  too  near  to  death  to  require  food,  and 
she  did  not  offer  it  to  him. 

After  he  had  drunk  again  and  was  somewhat 
revived  the  warrior  began  to  talk.  He  wished 
to  tell  the  story  of  his  exploits.  It  was  for  this 
he  had  ridden,  with  no  hope  of  life  and  in  des- 
perate straits,  many  days'  journeys.  Death 

230 


A      W   A    R   R   I    O    R'S      DEATH 

would  have  been  very  bitter  to  him  had  it  come 
at  a  time  when  all  record  of  his  recent  deeds 
must  have  perished  with  him.  Now,  with 
respite  enough  to  tell  his  story,  he  welcomed 
its  approach.  Here  were  those  who  would  carry 
his  trophies,  and  eagerly  repeat  his  narrative,  to 
their  people.  His  name  and  fame  were  thus 
secured  among  Dakotas. 

"How,  my  children,"  he  began,  "sit  ye  here  by 
me  and  look  upon  the  face  of  a  warrior.  Behold, 
we  went  forth  from  the  Leaf  People  six  strong 
soldiers.  We  went  against  the  Crees  to  do  them 
injury,  and  lo,  I  only  have  returned  thus  far. 
You  see  me,  Maza  Akicita,  Iron  Soldier  of  the 
Sisseton-wan.  I  am  about  to  die  and  I  speak 
the  truth.  Left  Hand,  Smoke  Maker,  Husan, 
Bear  Robe,  Sees  the  Day,  these  were  soldiers 
of  the  Sisseton-wan,  and  they  are  dead.  There 
is  none  left,  only  me,  to  speak  to  our  people 
of  these  men. 

"Listen,  my  children,  last  year  the  Crees 
attacked  us  at  the  buffalo  killing.  They  came 
against  us  a  large  company  and  overcame  our 
soldiers.  They  slew  some  of  the  Sisseton-wan; 
shooting  at  them  with  very  long-shot  guns.  They 
had  also  many  strong,  swift  horses;  therefore, 
they  killed  our  men. 

"These  people  live  in  a  country  where  there  is 
much  snow  (in  the  far  north),  and  thus  we  wished 
to  strike  at  them  when  their  horses  were  weak. 

231 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Therefore,  when  the  grass  came  with  us  the  chief 
of  the  Sisseton-wan  spoke  to  his  men.  Cloud 
Man  spoke  to  his  partisan  Left  Hand.  He  said, 
'How,  my  chief  soldier,  choose  ye  five  men,  tried 
in  war,  and  strike  the  Crees  at  Souris  River.  Do 
so  if  you  will  and  take  their  horses  from  them. 
Be  very  cunning,  and  very  secret,  and  when 
their  horses  are  poor  inflict  an  injury  upon  them.' 

"Thus  we  went  against  the  Crees,  these  men, 
as  I  have  said.  As  the  grass  grew  we  traveled 
northward.  We  rode  slowly,  hunting  as  we 
went.  After  a  time  we  passed  a  number  of 
lakes  and  creeks.  One  day  we  arrived  at  the 
great  bend  of  the  Souris  River.  We  approached 
the  river  to  look  for  signs  of  the  enemy.  It 
appeared  that  there  were  no  people  at  that 
place.  Thus  we  went  northward,  keeping  among 
the  hills.  Every  day  some  scout  went  to  the  top 
of  a  high  hill  to  look  for  the  enemy. 

"We  moved  slowly,  and  as  we  were  going 
there  were  some  mountains  which  met  the  rising 
sun.  Here  we  saw  many  elk.  We  stopped  to 
kill  some.  We  were  chasing  these  elk  and  so 
came  to  the  Souris  River,  in  a  valley  where  there 
was  much  good  grass. 

"It  seems  that  we  were  very  careless  this  one 
time.  We  stayed  at  this  place  two  suns,  cooking 
meat  and  making  a  feast.  We  danced  the  knife 
dance  and  ate  much  good  meat.  Suddenly  some 
Crees  came  upon  us.  They  were  riding  war 

232 


A      WARRIOR'S      DEATH 

ponies,  and  they  were  more  than  the  fingers  of 
two  hands.  We  ran  to  get  our  ponies  which 
were  picketed.  When  we  were  putting  on  our 
saddles  the  Crees  rode  about  us  in  a  circle, 
shooting.  One  rode  nearer  than  the  others, 
singing.  This  one  inquired  if  a  Dakota  could 
be  found  who  would  come  out  to  fight  him.  He 
made  this  apparent  by  signs  to  us. 

"Ho,  my  soldiers!'  thus  said  Left  Hand. 
'Stand  ye  here  and  I  will  go  out  to  fight  this 
man.  Do  not  shoot  anyone  so  long  as  this  one 
man  comes  against  me.' 

"Left  Hand  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  for- 
ward to  fight  the  Cree  soldier.  They  hastened 
to  meet  each  other.  They  came  shooting  at 
each  other.  It  appeared  that  they  escaped,  and 
thus  they  rushed  to  attack,  swinging  the  war- 
club.  They  came  very  near  together,  and 
because  they  made  strokes  at  each  other  their 
horses  became  frightened.  So  they  pitched 
about,  dodging  continually.  The  Crees  did  not 
come  on  to  attack.  They  ceased  shooting  at  us. 
They  sat  upon  their  horses  looking  at  these  men 
fight. 

"The  men  continued  to  fight.  They  sought 
each  to  take  an  advantage.  Left  Hand  fought 
very  cunningly.  He  continued  to  ride  in  a  circle, 
seeking  to  strike  the  Cree  as  he  passed.  The 
Cree  repeatedly  rode  straight  forward,  wishing 
to  force  his  pony  upon  the  other.  He  was  very 

233 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

brave,  but  he  was  not  wise.  He  rushed  his  pony, 
using  the  quirt,  and  so  came  very  close.  Left 
Hand  struck  the  Cree's  pony  upon  the  head, 
crushing  the  skull,  and  thus  the  man  and  his 
horse  fell  together.  Left  Hand  leaped  from  the 
saddle  and  counted  a  coup  upon  the  living  body. 
Then  he  killed  the  Cree  with  his  war-club. 

"He  was  taking  the  man's  scalp,  and  those 
Crees  which  were  nearer  began  shooting  at  him. 
Left  Hand  held  the  scalp  aloft  and  the  Crees 
shot  him. 

"I  said  to  our  soldiers,  'Let  us  go  against  these 
dogs  and  slay  some  of  them.  Come,  I  will  lead 
you!'  Four  Crees  were  together  in  one  place. 
They  were  separated.  We  rode  very  swiftly 
toward  these  men.  Seeing  us  making  ready  to 
shoot  they  rode  away,  each  one  man  by  himself. 
Thus  they  sought  to  bring  us  immediately  into 
fighting  the  Crees,  who  were  pursuing.  Our 
horses  were  very  swift.  We  came  upon  two 
Crees  very  quickly.  Husan  shot  one  of  them. 
I  shot  one  with  my  gun  touching  his  body.  One 
of  the  Crees  shot  Bear  Robe's  horse,  and  the  pur- 
suers came  up  and  killed  this  soldier.  We  were 
presently  surrounded,  and  were  loading  and  fir- 
ing very  rapidly.  All  the  Dakotas  which  were 
left  had  buffalo  guns,  which  made  a  great  noise, 
and  the  Crees  were  afraid  to  come  close.  They 
rode  around  us  and  continued  to  shoot  at  us. 

"When  I  saw  that  the  Crees  feared  to  come 

234 


A      WARRIOR'S      DEATH 

close  to  us,  I  said,  'Ho,  my  soldiers,  when  ye 
shall  see  the  enemy  ride  somewhat  apart,  going 
around  us,  mount  very  quickly  and  attack  some 
that  are  on  one  side.'  We  wished  to  make  the 
Crees  think  that  we  were  afraid.  Thus  we  began 
withdrawing  toward  a  hill.  Some  of  the  enemy 
ran  their  horses  very  fast  to  intercept  us.  When 
they  were  near  to  the  hill  I  said  to  my  warriors, 
'Now  let  us  mount  and  attack  them  in  that  place 
very  quickly.'  We  leaped  upon  our  horses  and 
rode  swiftly  to  overtake  the  enemy.  These 
endeavored  to  escape  our  attack.  We  killed 
three  of  them.  Sees  the  Day  was  killed  at  this 
time. 

"We  were  now  three,  and  seven  Crees  were 
pursuing  us.  We  wished  to  kill  more  of  them. 
Thus  we  stopped  in  a  coulee  to  fight.  We 
wished  the  Crees  to  surround  us  that  we  might 
attack  some  apart.  This  they  did  not  do,  but 
continued  going  to  a  high  point  where  they  sat 
upon  their  horses.  They  supposed  we  wished  to 
escape,  and  waited  to  pursue  us  when  we  should 
come  out.  We  saw  that  they  did  not  wish  to 
fight  in  that  place,  and  we  rode  forward  upon  the 
prairie.  We  dismounted  and  waited  for  the 
Crees  to  attack. 

"The  Crees  came  slowly  toward  us,  singing. 
One  of  them  rode  in  advance. 

"This  one  shook  his  war-bonnet,  riding  his 
horse  to  and  fro  before  us.  He  was  shouting. 

235 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

We  understood  that  he  wished  to  fight  one  of 
us.  We  refused  to  fight  in  this  manner.  Taking 
good  aim  at  the  boastful  one  I  shot  him.  He 
fell  off  his  horse  and  was  dead. 

"I  raised  the  war-club.  'Come/  I  cried,  'let  us 
count  coup  upon  this  man's  body.'  We  rushed 
very  quickly  upon  this  man  and  took  his  scalp. 
When  we  counted  coup,  I  struck  first.  Husan  was 
second  to  strike.  But  the  Crees  had  shot 
Smoke  Maker.  He  was  holding  to  his  saddle. 
He  was  very  badly  hit.  Husan  now  shot  one  of 
the  Crees,  who  had  approached  near  to  fire  at  us. 

"They  shot  Husan's  horse.  He  was  now  on 
foot.  We  stood  together  to  fight  them.  They 
came  very  close  shooting  at  us,  shouting  scornful 
words.  They  shot  Smoke  Maker's  horse  which 
fell  upon  him.  Smoke  Maker  was  dead. 

"Husan  spoke  to  me.  He  said:  'Hoye,  chief 
warrior,  you  have  a  swift  horse;  ride  very  fast  and 
escape,  so  that  one  shall  live  to  tell  the  Sisseton- 
wan  of  this  battle.  Behold,  I  am  wounded  and 
cannot  escape.'  He  had  fallen.  Seeing  yet  four 
Crees  I  aimed  very  carefully  at  one  and  killed 
the  man.  Having  a  good  horse  I  fled  toward  the 
river.  The  Crees  pursued  me,  shooting  for  a 
time.  I  rode  to  the  river  and  crossed.  Having 
gone  faster,  I  was  further  from  the  Crees,  and 
these  stopped  at  the  river's  bank.  They  fired 
some  shots  and  I  shot  at  them.  Then  the  Crees 
returned  to  their  dead. 

236 


A      WARRIOR'S      DEATH 

"I  rode  a  distance,  crossing  the  river,  and  see- 
ing some  high  hills  I  rode  among  them.  I  pick- 
eted my  pony  and  ascended  the  topmost  of  these 
hills,  going  carefully.  I  lay  upon  this  high 
ground  and  watched  the  Crees.  These  men  put 
circles  of  stones  around  the  dead  bodies  of  their 
warriors.  They  wished  to  keep  off  the  wolves, 
and  thus  doing  they  rode  homeward  to  fetch  a 
company  to  bury  them. 

"It  was  now  nearly  night  and,  seeing  the  Crees 
go  down  to  the  river,  I  followed  them.  As  soon 
as  it  was  dark  I  rode  after  them.  I  could  not 
see  the  Crees,  but  I  went  along  the  stream  look- 
ing for  their  village.  It  seems  that  these  people 
lived  a  long  way  off,  for  I  came  suddenly  upon 
the  camp  of  the  three  Crees.  These  men  had 
become  tired  and  hungry.  They  had  taken 
meat  of  the  horses  they  had  killed,  and  so  they 
were  cooking  and  eating.  They  had  a  very 
bright  fire,  which  I  saw  a  long  way  off. 

"I  wished  to  kill  these  men,  so  I  approached, 
having  picketed  my  horse.  I  walked  very  softly 
in  the  grass.  I  came  near  the  river  and 
approached,  keeping  behind  some  willows. 
When  I  had  come  near  to  their  camp  the  Crees 
were  eating  meat. 

"As  they  were  sitting  there  I  rushed  suddenly 
upon  them.  One  I  shot  immediately.  I  attacked 
the  other  two  with  my  war-club.  One  con- 
tended with  me  strongly.  While  I  was  fighting 

237 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

this  one,  the  other  Cree  placed  his  gun  against 
my  thigh  and  shot  me,  wounding  my  flesh.  I 
struck  the  man  with  my  war-club,  and  so  killed 
him.  The  other  one,  who  had  shot  me,  ran 
away.  He  mounted  his  horse  and  escaped. 
Doubtless  this  man  was  a  coward. 

"I  took  the  scalp  trophies.  I  was  very  tired, 
contending  so  long.  Therefore  I  ate  some  meat 
and  slept  for  a  time.  When  I  awoke  it  was  day 
and  I  made  haste  to  go  homeward.  My  wound 
was  troublesome  in  walking  so  I  was  glad  when 
I  came  to  my  horse.  I  would  have  stopped  to 
scalp  those  Crees  we  had  slain  yesterday,  but  I 
saw  horsemen  approaching  upon  some  hills; 
therefore,  I  made  haste  to  come  homeward.  I 
have  ridden  for  six  suns  and  have  eaten  no  meat 
for  three  suns.  Now,  my  children,  my  wound  is 
very  bad,  and  I  must  die.  Go  ye,  therefore, 
among  the  Dakotas  and  tell  them  where  my 
bones  lie,  and  speak  to  them  about  the  death  of 
those  soldiers  who  went  with  me." 

The  warrior's  last  sentences  were  spoken  with 
great  effort  and  his  gestures,  which  his  sum- 
moned strength  had  rendered  animated  at  first, 
had  become  feebly  inexpressive.  Thus,  how- 
ever, was  finished  and  told  to  retentive  ears,  the 
story  of  one  of  the  most  stubbornly  contested 
fights  of  which  the  Sioux  annals  give  account. 
Heroic  six,  they  were  indeed  "tried  soldiers"! 
and  according  to  their  lights  were  true  patriots, 

238 


A      WARRIOR'S      DEATH 

serving  reprisal  upon  the  enemies  of  their 
country. 

Eagerly  the  Sioux  children  had  listened  to 
this  story  of  brave  deeds,  and  Etapa,  the  mimic 
story-teller,  trained  to  remember  and  repeat, 
to  him  this  story  meant  a  great  opportunity. 
The  dying  soldier  had,  indeed,  met  with  good 
fortune  in  being  able  to  tell  his  story  to  this  lad. 
Yet  there  was  a  reasonable  doubt  whether  the 
boy  might  live  to  reach  a  Dakota  village. 

When  the  warrior  had  been  again  revived  with 
water  and  the  voyagers  had  told  their  story  in 
turn,  the  man  became  eager  to  direct  their  course. 

"Listen,  my  children,"  he  said,  speaking  feebly, 
but  earnestly,  "since  there  is  to  be  war  against 
the  white  people  it  is  best  you  should  go  to  a 
Yanktonais  village.  The  lower  villages  of  your 
people  will  be  involved  in  this  war  more  quickly, 
for  they  are  nearer  to  the  big  towns  of  the 
whites.  Go,  therefore,  straight  in  this  direc- 
tion," indicating  the  west,  "until  you  come  to  the 
Big  Yellow  River.  Go  down  the  river  before 
crossing,  and  you  shall  find  the  Yanktonais  vil- 
lages. If  these  villages  are  removed,  because  of 
the  war,  you  can  easily  follow  and  overtake  them 
in  the  country  where  they  are  gone.  These 
people  will  not  take  their  women  and  children 
through  an  enemy's  country,  therefore  you  can 
safely  follow  them.  Ho,  my  children,  do  thus  as 
I  have  told  you." 

239 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

These  were  not  the  last  words  of  Iron  Soldier, 
but  he  speedily  grew  weaker,  and  his  breath 
now  and  then  came  in  gasps.  He  spoke  occa- 
sionally to  give  some  further  directions,  and  to 
ask  for  water.  Until  sunset  he  sat  with  a  rapt 
expression,  looking  out  over  a  vast  expanse  of 
prairie  to  eastward.  When  the  world  of  night 
fell  he  aroused  and  chanted  his  death  song. 
The  children  brought  up  wood  and  made  a  fire 
that  the  man's  spirit  might  not  go  out  in  dark- 
ness. In  the  night  the  soldier  ceased  to  breathe, 
and  they  saw  that  he  was  dead.  In  the  place  of 
relatives  who  should  mourn  for  him  Zintkala 
blackened  her  face  with  earth,  and  drew  her 
blanket  close  about  her  head.  She  went  out 
upon  the  hillside  and  cried,  wailing  piteously  for 
the  death  of  a  great  warrior. 


240 


CHAPTER   XXIII 
THE   BIG  YELLOW   RIVER 

When  morning  came,  Etapa  and  Zintkala 
raised  a  heap  of  stones  over  the  body  of  Iron 
Soldier.  Thus  they  gave  him  the  monument 
which  his  warrior's  heart  had  craved.  His  war- 
club,  his  knife  and  his  pipe  they  placed  at  his 
hands. 

His  short  "buffalo  gun,"  the  trophies  he  had 
taken  in  evidence  of  his  prowess,  his  powder 
horn  and  bullet  pouch  were  made  fast  to  his 
saddle,  which  Etapa  put  upon  his  own  horse,  in 
order  that  this  property  of  the  soldier's  might  be 
sent  to  his  relatives. 

The  children  would  gladly  have  taken  the 
warrior's  pony  but  the  animal  was  too  poor  and 
weak  for  continued  and  fast  travel. 

They  now  changed  their  camp  to  the  far  end 
of  the  marsh  lake,  where  they  stayed  for 
another  two  suns,  gathering  and  curing  meat. 
Upon  the  rich  grasses  of  the  upland  their  ponies 
recovered  heart  and  strength,  and  they  departed 
for  the  Missouri  River,  well  provided  for  a  long 
journey. 

Two  days  of  uneventful  travel  across  flat 
prairies  and  the  river  hills  brought  them  to  the 
bluffs  of  the  Missouri.  There  was  no  mistaking 

241 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

the  deep  valley,  with  its  broad  winding  ribbon  of 
yellow  water  and  gray  sands.  The  children 
chattered  delightedly  at  sight  of  this  river  which 
ran  through  their  own  country,  that  broad  belt 
which  still  belonged  to  their  nation.  They 
camped  upon  its  banks,  feeling  that,  at  last,  they 
were  near  to  the  towns  of  their  own  people,  and 
secure  from  the  attack  of  foes. 

They  knew  that  they  must  go  down  the  river 
several  days'  journey  to  arrive  at  the  Yankton 
village,  where  their  mother's  people  lived.  They 
had  plenty  of  cured  meat  left  for  this  travel, 
but  they  had  been  riding  hard  and  both  their 
animals  and  themselves  needed  rest.  They  had 
become  much  attached  to  their  hardy  ponies, 
White  Dog  and  Red  Stars,  and  they  picketed 
these  animals  carefully  where  there  was  the  best 
grass.  It  was  mid-forenoon  when  they  stopped, 
and  they  passed  a  share  of  the  day  lying  within 
the  shade  of  some  cottonwood  trees  in  refresh- 
ing sleep. 

When  they  awoke  they  sat  happily  for  a  long 
time  on  the  river  bank.  Looking  upon  this 
familiar  yellow  current  they  felt  much  at  home. 
They  had  only  to  follow  its  course  for  a  little 
time  to  get  among  their  own  people.  Yet  now 
that  they  were,  as  they  supposed,  so  near  to 
Yanktonais  villages  they  were  not  impatient  to 
advance,  as  they  would  have  been  toward  their 
own  Oglala  town. 

242 


THE     BIG    YELLOW    RIVER 

They  had  gained  in  courage  and  self-reliance, 
and  the  possession  of  two  strong  ponies  and  a 
supply  of  cured  meat  gave  them  a  stout  feeling 
of  independence.  They  did  not  move  from 
their  camp  among  the  cottonwoods  until  the  fol- 
lowing morning. 

They  then  went  down  the  stream,  following  its 
eastern  bank,  for  on  that  side  lived  the  Yank- 
tonais.  They  traveled  in  the  valley,  except 
where  bluffs  came  to  the  river's  brink.  Much  of 
the  way  they  followed  ancient  beaten  trails, 
which  had  been  used  from  time  immemorial  by 
Indians,  traveling  up  and  down  the  river.  Here 
and  there  they  passed  the  sites  of  villages  long 
since  abandoned.  The  beaten  earth,  the  buffalo 
skulls,  decayed  antlers  of  deer  and  elk,  and  old, 
charred  tepee  stakes  were  additional  and  welcome 
evidences  of  a  Sioux  country.  Even  tumble- 
down scaffoldings,  from  which  the  remains  of 
the  dead  had  been  removed,  were  cheerful  sights 
to  these  returning  voyagers. 

Yet  this  was  an  almost  gameless  country. 
Already  the  buffalo  had  been  driven  far  to  the 
westward,  and  they  were  not  often  seen  along  the 
Missouri.  Far  up  the  river,  too,  trading  posts 
had  long  been  established,  and  the  trappers,  voy- 
ageurs,  and  Indian  fur  and  robe  hunters  had 
stripped  the  river  of  its  game  animals;  hence  so 
many  abandoned  villages.  In  a  day's  ride  the 
children  saw  no  more  than  a  half-dozen  fleet- 

243 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

footed  antelope  and  they  saw  no  other  animals 
larger  than  ground-squirrels.  Their  own  buffalo 
country  lay  yet  five  or  six  days'  hard  riding 
to  west  of  the  big  river.  But  they  knew  that 
route  up  and  down  the  Smoky  River,  from  the 
Yankton  village,  whither  they  were  going.  They 
did  not  know  for  just  how  many  suns  they  must 
travel  down  the  river,  but  the  assurance  of 
reaching  their  own  people  in  safety  was  now 
very  great. 

So  they  rode  joyously  and  carelessly.  On  the 
second  day  after  crossing  the  mouth  of  a  stream 
they  came  upon  the  site  of  a  newly  vacated  vil- 
lage, where  there  was  every  evidence  that  a 
large  number  of  people  had  lived  for  a  long 
time,  and  that  their  removal  had  been  under- 
taken and  accomplished  in  haste.  Very  few  of 
the  tepee  stakes  had  been  pulled.  These  stood 
just  as  the  covers  had  been  stripped  from  them. 
Lying  about  were  old  pieces  of  skins,  rope, 
articles  of  household  furniture,  odds  and  ends, 
which  ordinarily  Indian  families  would  not  have 
left  behind. 

Evidently  these  people  had  moved  their  vil- 
lage in  a  hurry,  and  were  intending  to  go  a  long 
distance,  and  to  travel  fast.  They  had  crossed 
the  river  right  there,  too,  swimming  their  horses 
to  a  dry  sand-bar,  upon  which  a  trail  could  be 
distinguished  from  a  high  bank  near  the  aban- 
doned town.  This  was  doubtless  one  of  those 

244 


THE    BIG    YELLOW    RIVER 

Yanktonais  towns  of  which  Iron  Soldier  had 
spoken. 

This  evidence  of  a  hasty  leaving  gave  the  chil- 
dren some  uneasiness.  Yet  it  was  getting  on 
toward  the  buffalo  killing  season,  and  if  people 
heard  that  there  were  plenty  of  buffaloes  a  long 
way  off  they  would,  of  course,  make  haste  to  go 
to  that  country,  for  sometimes  the  people  had  to 
travel  many  suns  before  they  could  find  the 
buffalo,  and  they  must  start  early. 

This  was  Zintkala's  reasoning.  But  after 
careful  examination  of  the  ground,  Etapa  came 
to  another  conclusion. 

"I  think,  older  sister,"  he  said,  "that  these 
Yanktonais  folk  have  heard  about  the  war  people 
are  talking  of,  and  they  were  afraid  the  white 
soldiers  would  come  to  attack  their  women  and 
children.  Therefore,  they  are  moving  rapidly  to 
take  them  a  long  way  off." 

"Then  let  us  go  across  the  river,  too,  younger 
brother,"  urged  the  sister.  "I  fear  to  stay  on 
this  side  lest  the  enemy  come." 

"No,  let  us  not  do  so  yet,"  replied  the  boy. 
"We  can  at  any  time  swim  across  the  river  with 
our  horses.  I  do  not  see  that  anyone  has  been 
here  since  these  people  went  away.  They  have 
been  gone  five  suns,  I  think." 

They  passed  on  from  this  point  another  day's 
journey  upon  the  east  side  of  the  river.  They 
saw  nothing  to  alarm  them,  but  on  the  second 

245 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

day  came  upon  another  abandoned  village,  bear- 
ing the  same  evidence  that  people  had  moved 
across  the  river  and  gone  off  in  haste.  Without 
doubt  runners  had  come  to  these  villages 
recently,  bearing  news  of  great  importance. 

The  children  had  again  only  the  choice  of  two 
conclusions.  Either  the  soldiers  of  the  Great 
Father  were  coming  to  destroy  these  towns  or 
there  were  a  great  many  buffaloes  a  long  jour- 
ney to  the  westward,  and  the  herds  perhaps 
moving  farther  away. 

They  were  filled  with  alarm  and  uneasiness. 
As  the  country  directly  west  was  unknown  to 
them  they  felt  that  they  had  need  to  travel  on 
to  the  Yankton  village,  where  their  mother's 
people  lived,  in  order  to  find  their  way  home- 
ward. They  now  feared  that  they  would  find 
that  town  also  abandoned — and  their  anxiety 
was  very  great. 

They  still  kept  to  the  east  side  of  the  river  for 
Etapa  reasoned,  with  admirable  judgment,  that 
if  an  enemy  were  surely  coming  to  attack  the 
Indians  of  those  towns,  they  would  at  once  cross 
the  river  and  take  up  their  trails.  Therefore 
the  voyagers  were  already  traveling  upon  the 
safest  side. 

On  the  third  day,  at  near  noon,  they  found 
themselves  upon  a  high  bluff  looking  down  upon 
a  country  which  they  suddenly  recognized  as 
familiar.  This  was  the  country  of  the  Yank- 

246 


THE    BIG    YELLOW    RIVER 

tons,  and,  in  a  strip  of  timber,  not  far  down  the 
river,  the  tepees  of  their  mother's  people  should 
be  found  if  these  had  not,  like  the  Yanktonais, 
suddenly  removed. 

Instinctively  the  little  voyagers  scanned  the 
flats  and  hill  slopes,  on  both  sides  the  river,  for 
the  pony  herds  or  at  least  some  scattered  animals 
which  should  be  grazing.  There  were  none  to 
be  seen.  Nor  was  there  any  smoke  curling  above 
the  trees,  nor  any  person  or  living  object  on  all 
the  stretch  of  river  bars  and  open  valley. 

"They  are  gone,"  said  Etapa.  "They  are 
gone,"  echoed  Zintkala,  and  they  turned  their 
faces  away  from  each  other. 


247 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

THE  BOAT  WHICH  WAS  NOT  STRAIGHT 
TONGUE'S 

The  little  voyagers  had  told  each  other  that 
perhaps  they  should  find  the  Yanktons  and 
Santees  gone  from  their  village.  Nevertheless, 
each  felt  an  overwhelming  sense  of  disappoint- 
ment when  the  fact  of  removal  was  made  appar- 
ent. They  rode  down  the  bluffs,  along  the 
valley,  and  into  the  timber  without  speaking. 
Doubtless  the  lump  of  homesickness  and  desola- 
tion which  each  of  these  children  was  trying  to 
swallow  was  quite  as  big  and  ached  quite  as  hard 
as  though  they  had  been  German,  French  or 
English. 

When  they  reached  the  deserted  village 
grounds  they  sat  for  a  time  upon  their  ponies, 
looking  at  the  skeleton  tepees,  the  empty  pony 
corrals,  the  familiar  trees,  the  well  trodden  grass 
plats  and  shady  places,  where  they  had  played 
with  their  young  relatives.  They  neither  spoke 
to  nor  looked  at  each  other.  They  rode  slowly 
and  silently  down  the  river  to  an  old  swimming 
ford,  where  their  trail  showed  that  the  Yanktons 
had  crossed  some  days  since. 

Here   the   voyagers  stripped   to   the   breech- 

248 


BOAT      NOT       STRAIGHT       TONGUE'S 

clout,  tied  all  their  clothing  and  effects  securely 
on  top  of  their  blanket  saddles,  and  drove  their 
ponies  into  the  current.  They  swam  behind, 
holding  to  the  animals'  tails,  and  thus  guided 
their  course.  After  they  had  swam  and  floated 
with  the  current  for  half  a  mile  or  so,  they 
reached  shallow  water  and  waded  out  upon  a 
bar  of  dry  sand  which  extended  in  a  pointed  neck 
into  the  current.  This  long  shifting  bar  the 
Yanktons  and  Santees  had  used  many  years  for 
a  landing  in  crossing  to  the  west.  In  its  sand 
they  were  also  obliged  to  travel  up  stream  again 
a  considerable  distance  to  gain  ascent  of  the 
bluff  bank  on  that  side. 

Upon  this  bar,  near  the  point,  Etapa  and  Zint- 
kala  stopped  to  dry  and  rub  their  clothes,  which, 
as  their  saddles  were  low,  had  been  wetted  more 
or  less.  Their  ponies,  with  dragging  picket 
ropes,  stood  in  the  sand  and  lazily  switched  at 
occasional  flies.  It  takes  a  long  time  to  dry  buck- 
skins properly.  They  need  to  be  rubbed  vigor- 
ously to  keep  the  skins  from  shrinking  and 
becoming  rough  and  uncomfortable  to  wear. 
The  children  had  been  engaged  in  this  work  for 
some  time  when  they  heard  a  noise  which  sud- 
denly filled  them  with  excitement.  Chuff! 
Chuff!  Chuff!  It  was  the  hoarse  grumbling 
cough  of  a  river  steamer!  These  sounds  came 
from  up  the  river,  and  Zintkala  and  Etapa  leaped 
to  their  feet  and  clapped  their  hands  joyfully. 

249 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"Straight  Tongue's  boat!  Straight  Tongue's 
boat!"  shouted  the  delighted  little  Sioux.  They 
made  haste  to  put  on  their  clothes.  The  only 
steamer  they  had  ever  seen  had  stopped  the 
spring  before  to  leave  at  the  Yankton  village  a 
man  whom  all  the  Dakotas,  who  knew  him,  loved. 
The  bands  whom  he  had  visited  had  given  him 
the  name  of  Straight  Tongue,*  because  they  had 
found  that  his  words  were  true,  and  that  he  kept 
his  promises.  This  man  was  indeed  the  true 
friend  of  Indians,  and  a  missionary  who  did 
everything  within  his  power  to  assist  these  poor 
people  in  their  struggles  to  obtain  justice. 
Something  he  was  able  to  do — though  but  little 
— here  and  there  to  stay  the  tide  of  ruthless  and 
lawless  invasion  which  overwhelmed  them. 

Zintkala  and  Etapa  knew  this  man,  and, 
better  still,  he  knew  them  as  the  children  of  Fire 
Cloud  of  the  Oglalas.  Once,  when  they  had  been 
visiting  the  Yanktons,  Straight  Tongue  had 
stayed  among  these  Indians  a  number  of  suns. 
His  boat  had  brought  him  up  the  river  and  had 
come  down  to  take  him  away.  He  had  talked 
much  with  the  people,  and  they  had  been  very 
sorry  to  see  the  good  man  go.  They  would 
gladly  have  kept  him  with  them. 

While  the  brother  and  sister  were  at  the  mis- 
sion school,  also,  Straight  Tongue  had  visited 
that  place.  He  had  spoken  kindly  to  them,  Zint- 

*  This  man  was  Bishop  H.  P.  Whipple. 
250 


BOAT   NOT   STRAIGHT   TONGUE'S 

kala  and  Etapa.  He  had  remembered  their 
names  and  had  taken  each  by  the  hand. 

As  these  children  had  seen  but  the  one  steam- 
boat— which  was  very  mysterious  and  wonderful 
— they  had  supposed  there  was  but  one  such,  and 
that  was  Straight  Tongue's.  They  had  always 
spoken  of  this  boat  as  Taku-wakan-tanka,  (some- 
thing-mysteriously-wonderful). 

They  stood  out  upon  the  bar  near  to  the 
water's  edge,  that  they  might  easily  be  seen  when 
the  boat  should  pass.  They  hoped  that  it  would 
come  near  enough  so  that  Straight  Tongue 
would  see  them,  and  that  he  would  wish  to 
inquire  whither  the  Dakotas  of  the  village  were 
gone.  Or,  they  thought,  it  might  be  that 
Straight  Tongue  knew  this,  even  that  he  had 
sent  these  people  away,  and  could  tell  where 
they  were.  This  good  man  spoke  their  lan- 
guage, and  they  wished  very  much  that  he  would 
land  his  boat  there.  He  could,  no  doubt,  tell 
them  whether  the  Great  Father's  soldiers  were 
coming.  Thus  they  reasoned  with  hope  and  joy. 

"Brother,  I  think  Straight  Tongue  will  surely 
see  us,"  said  Zintkala.  "Do  you  think  he  will 
be  in  the  boat  tepee?  He  will  surely  remember 
the  Yanktons  and  come  out  to  see  them?" 

"Straight  Tongue's  boat  is  coming  very  fast — 
I  do  not  see  him — see  what  a  great  smoke  he  is 
making,"  answered  Etapa,  with  excitement. 

Absorbed   in   the   wonder   of    this    coughing, 

251 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

churning,  smoking  vessel  the  little  voyagers 
stood,  all  eyes  and  ears,  until  suddenly  the  ranks 
of  wood  upon  its  fore-deck  swarmed  with  men, 
having  guns  in  their  hands,  as  they  could  see  by 
the  glint  of  the  sun  upon  the  barrels.  These 
men  immediately  began  to  shoot  and  yell. 

Not  until  they  saw  the  water  spattering  in 
their  front  and  heard  the  whining  yeun! — yeun! — 
yeun!  of  bullets  passing  overhead  did  the  aston- 
ished children  realize  that  the  men  upon  that 
boat — Straight  Tongue's  boat! — were  shooting  at 
them.  When  convinced  they  were  terribly  fright- 
ened, but  certain  there  had  been  some  dreadful 
mistake.  They  looked  wildly  about  for  some 
avenue  of  escape.  There  was  none,  for  the  flat 
sand-bar  was  raised  scarcely  a  foot  above  the 
water's  edge.  Seeing  their  hopeless  situation 
the  voyagers  waved  their  arms  in  frantic  appeal. 
They  shouted  their  names — the  name  of  their 
father.  They  called  to  Straight  Tongue,  "Do 
not  shoot  at  us!" 

Their  appeals  were  answered  by  a  storm  of 
shots.  Hoping  against  hope,  that  when  the  boat 
came  nearer,  their  signals  and  cries  would  reach 
friendly  or  pitying  ears,  the  little  Sioux  took 
refuge  behind  their  ponies. 

Still  thinking  Straight  Tongue's  men  were 
shooting  by  mistake,  they  continued  to  wave 
their  arms  above  their  heads.  They  shouted 
piteous  appeals.  "No  shoot!  No  shoot!"  they 

252 


BOAT      NOT       STRAIGHT       TONGUE'S 

cried  in  English.  "Ho!  cola!  cola!"  (friends! 
friends!). 

The  boat  had  now  come  within  more  accurate 
range.  Etapa's  pony  was  stricken  dead  and 
dropped  at  his  feet.  He  ran  behind  his  sister's 
horse,  and  the  two  redoubled  their  frantic  hand- 
wavings  and  shouted  appeals  for  pity. 

But  more  men — a  packed  crowd — had  climbed 
upon  the  wood  ranks.  In  wild  excitement  these 
were  shooting  with  rifles,  revolvers,  all  sorts  of 
firearms.  It  was  rare  sport  for  them,  this  oppor- 
tunity to  kill  a  couple  of  hated  redskins. 

Zintkala's  pony  was  struck  twice  and,  mor- 
tally hurt,  broke  away  and  plunged  erratically 
about  in  the  sand. 

The  little  voyagers  now  ran,  still  holding  up 
their  hands  in  vain  appeal.  Half  way  across  the 
bar  Zintkala  fell.  Etapa  reached  the  shal- 
low water  a  few  rods  from  where  they 
had  stood  and  flung  himself  face  down- 
ward. 

Wild  and  savage  whoops  and  cheers  greeted 
the  little  girl's  fall,  and  these  were  repeated  when 
the  boy  dropped;  but,  seeing  his  black  head  move 
upon  the  surface  as  he  attempted  to  swim  or 
crawl  to  deeper  water,  the  boat's  pitiless  crew 
assailed  him  with  a  fresh  storm  of  bullets.  Then 
either  the  nature  of  the  channel  demanded 
retreat  from  the  bar,  or  the  boat's  pilot  was  not 
void  of  heart,  for  the  steamer  drew  rapidly  away 

253 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

toward  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  and  passed 
beyond  bullet  range. 

Etapa,  in  sudden  fear  lest  the  boat  should 
round  the  bar,  and  thus  the  shooters  should 
attack  him  from  that  side,  retreated  to  the  sand. 
He  looked  fearfully  after  the  steamer  until  it 
had  passed  around  a  bend  and  out  of  sight.  He 
had  supposed  his  sister  was  dead,  having  seen 
her  fall,  but,  upon  turning  to  the  bar  again,  he 
saw  her  sitting  upon  the  sand  with  her  hands 
clasping  her  head.  W^ith  a  joyful  cry  the  boy 
ran  toward  her. 

"Hoye,  Tanke,"  he  shouted.  "It  appears  the 
wasecunpi  have  not  killed  you!" 

Zintkala  did  not  answer  nor  appear  to  hear 
him  until  the  boy  ran  to  her,  shouting  her  name 
in  great  anxiety.  As  he  came  up  the  little  girl 
lifted  a  blood-streaked  face  and  gazed  at  him 
dazedly  for  a  moment.  A  bullet  had  grazed  her 
head,  cutting  the  skin  upon  her  temple,  and  joy- 
fully the  boy  saw  that  her  hurt  was  neither 
mortal  nor  very  dangerous. 

He  ran  to  her  dead  pony,  secured  her  tin  basin 
and  fetched  it  to  her  filled  with  water.  She  had 
now  begun  to  realize  what  had  happened.  She 
bathed  her  bloody  face  and  hands  and  so  col- 
lected her  senses  and  came  fully  to  herself. 

Her  eyes  turned  toward  her  fallen  pony. 
"Why  did  Straight  Tongue's  men  kill  our 
horses?"  she  wailed,  beginning  to  cry. 

254 


BOAT      NOT       STRAIGHT       TONGUE'S 

The  boy's  eyes  followed  hers  to  the  dead 
ponies,  and  he  struggled  with  his  desolate  feel- 
ing of  loss.  But  he  answered  with  that  sense  of 
justice  and  acceptance  of  the  inevitable  which 
characterizes  individuals  of  the  American  race. 

"Older  sister,"  he  said,  "it  was  not  Straight 
Tongue  did  thus  to  us.  It  was  the  white  sol- 
diers. They  have  taken  his  boat  from  him  and 
are  going  up  and  down  the  river  killing  our 
people.  So  it  is  that  we  find  them  all  fled  from 
their  villages." 

This  seemed  a  very  reasonable  solution  of  the 
calamity  which  had  befallen  them.  The  little 
girl  visibly  brightened.  At  least  there  was  com- 
fort in  the  thought  that  Straight  Tongue  could 
not  have  so  betrayed  and  ill-treated  his  friends. 

"How,  I  think  that  is  true,"  she  said,  ceasing 
to  cry.  "It  was  the  war  soldiers  who  came.  It 
seems  that  we  were  very  careless  to  stand  thus- 
near." 

After  a  little  time  her  wound  ceased  to  bleed, 
and  the  two  went  to  their  ponies  and  unpacked 
such  things  as  they  wished  to  carry  with  them. 
They  took  what  cured  meat  they  had  left,  their 
blankets,  the  gun,  powder  horn,  bullet  pouch, 
and  scalp  trophies  of  Iron  Soldier,  the  basin  and 
such  pieces  of  buckskin  as  they  had  used  for 
packing  purposes.  They  left  behind  Etapa's 
hatchet  and  all  cumbersome  articles.  Thus 
lightly  equipped  they  took  up  their  march  again 
on  foot. 

255 


CHAPTER   XXV 
A  LONG  TRAIL 

War  is  far-reaching  in  its  consequences  and 
often  lays  its  unsparing  hand  upon  the  innocent. 
Our  civil  strife  for  the  liberation  of  slaves  set  in 
motion,  to  the  farthest  frontiers,  those  native 
tribes,  whom,  on  account  of  coveting  their  vast 
possessions,  we  have  unceasingly  robbed  and 
oppressed  and  enslaved,  and  thousands  of  whom 
we  hold  to-day,  the  innocent  with  the  guilty,  as 
half-starved  prisoners  of  war. 

When  we  struggled,  brother  against  brother, 
these  tribes  shifted  ground,  eagerly  watching  to 
strike  at  the  hosts  of  invasion  when  opportunity 
should  offer,  and  also  to  inflict  injury  upon  the 
ancient  enemies  of  their  kind. 

The  story  of  the  little  voyagers  must  have 
ended  at  the  Yankton  village  had  not  war  made 
for  them,  of  their  own  country,  a  wilderness 
more  bewildering  and  more  dangerous  than  even 
the  vast  woods  of  the  northland.  They  might 
have  followed  the  Yanktons  but  for  the  loss  of 
their  ponies.  On  foot,  however,  there  could  be 
but  little  chance  of  overtaking  these  people 
before  the  rains  or  the  trampling  herds  of  buffalo 
should  obliterate  their  trail.  There  was  no  cer- 
tainty in  the  minds  of  these  Sioux  children  that 

256 


A         LONG        TRAIL 

they  should  find  the  Oglalas  at  their  town,  but, 
child-like,  they  tried  each  to  hide  this  fear  from 
the  other. 

They  were  at  least  upon  familiar  ground  upon 
the  Smoky  River  trail,  and  this  they  followed  day 
after  day  with  plodding  but  untired  feet,  and 
they  chattered  joyously  whenever  they  could 
point  out  the  exact  spot  where  their  own  tepee 
had  been  pitched  in  their  eastward  journey  of 
the  year  before.  Once  even  they  found  the 
forked  stakes,  with  a  willow  pole  resting  in  one 
of  the  crotches,  where  their  kettle  had  hung  to 
boil,  standing  exactly  as  their  mother  had  left 
them  when  she  had  slipped  the  bail  of  her  pot 
from  the  cross-piece. 

Although  it  was  not  yet  night  they  stopped 
to  make  camp  at  this  place.  They  had  not  felt 
so  much  at  home  for  a  year  and,  after  they  had 
eaten  a  meal  of  roasted  ground-squirrels  and 
wild  turnips,  they  were  very  happy. 

They  sat  under  a  fringe  of  willows  as  night 
came  on,  with  a  tiny  blaze  of  dry  sticks  before 
them. 

"Younger  brother,"  said  Zintkala,  "why  do 
not  those  people  over  there  build  a  fire  and  tell 
stories  as  they  did  that  other  time?" 

"I  think  those  people  will  do  so  very  soon," 
said  Etapa.  Thereupon  the  mimic,  whose  mood 
could  always  be  depended  upon  for  a  real  make- 
believe,  collected  some  fuel  and  made  a  fire  at 

257 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

the  point  indicated.  He  also  made  several  other 
fires,  so  that  there  appeared  to  be  quite  a  large 
camp  of  people  about.  When  he  returned  to 
their  secluded  nook  the  two  were  very  happy. 
They  spoke  often  of  the  folks  camped  about 
them  and  whither  they  were  going.  It  seemed 
that  somebody  had  come  into  the  village  saying 
there  were  a  great  many  buffaloes  to  west- 
ward, and  so  the  people  were  all  feeling  very 
good  indeed,  and  they  were  all  going  to  the  kill- 
ing, men,  women  and  children.  There  would  be 
much  to  do  in  the  morning  in  packing  the  travois 
and  getting  ready  for  the  start,  but  at  this  time 
the  people  were  all  sitting  in  front  of  their 
tepees,  talking  and  smoking. 

"At  High  Wolfs  wife's  tepee  there  are  some 
people  telling  stories,"  said  Zintkala  after  a 
time.  "I  heard  some  one  laugh  because  a 
foolish  one  got  the  porcupine's  needles  in 
his  fingers.  He  supposed  that  he  had  caught  a 
rabbit." 

Etapa  laughed.  "I  do  not  know  that  story," 
he  said.  "I  would  like  to  hear  those  people 
talk.  Did  you  hear  the  story  a  man  on  this 
side  was  telling  about  Iktomi?  They  were  talk- 
ing, sitting  at  the  fire  of  Standing  Buffalo's 
women." 

"I  did  not  hear  that  story,  younger  brother," 
said  Zintkala,  "pray  do  tell  it  to  me." 

And  so  Etapa  told  about: 

258 


A         LONG        TRAIL 

IKTOMI   AND    THE    MICE 

"One  time  Iktomi  was  walking  in  the  long 
grass.  He  was  very  tired,  and  as  he  walked 
he  was  wishing  to  be  entertained.  Suddenly 
this  one  thus  desiring  heard  very  beautiful 
music.  This  music  was  very  mysterious  and 
wonderful,  and  Iktomi  was  astonished.  The 
voices  of  many  strange  people  singing  fine 
and  very  soft  he  heard  everywhere.  Some- 
times it  appeared  that  these  people  were  in 
the  sky,  and  then  Iktomi  thought  surely  they 
were  in  the  grass,  and  then  he  said:  'Certainly, 
they  are  on  the  water.' 

"He  became  very  much  confused,  listening  to 
these  strange  people.  'Ho,'  said  Iktomi,  'this  is 
indeed  mysterious.  Some  one  has  surely  made 
a  great  medicine.  I  will  discover  about  this.  If 
I  can  find  this  medicine  I  shall  sing  very  accept- 
ably indeed.  I  shall  marry  the  daughter  of  a 
rich  person,  who  will  not  be  able  to  resist  this 
singing.' 

"Because  he  was  very  ugly  to  look  upon  no 
young  woman  would  marry  Iktomi.  Thus  he 
was  anxious  to  learn  the  secret  of  this  wonderful 
singing. 

"He  ran  about  in  the  grass.  He  stopped  often 
to  listen.  No  one  came  to  tell  Iktomi  about  this 
singing.  Once  Iktomi  ran,  looking  upward.  He 
expected  to  see  some  people  in  the  clouds.  He 
prayed  to  the  clouds,  'Ohe-ohe,  Mahpiya-sa, 

259 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

teach  me  this  beautiful  singing  and  I  will  do 
your  bidding.  Thirty  pieces  of  skin  I  will  cut 
from  my  arm  when  I  am  arrived  at  home.' 

"Then  as  he  ran,  thus  looking  upward,  Iktomi 
fell  over  something. 

"He-he-he!'  cried  Iktomi,  'now  I  have  hurt 
myself  upon  this  worthless  buffalo  skull.'  Iktomi 
sat  groaning — 'Yuh-huh!  winswi!  this  is  indeed 
very  bad.' 

"Suddenly  he  heard  wonderful  singing — many 
voices  singing  very  fine  came  out  of  the  buffalo 
skull. 

'  'Oho,'  said  Iktomi,  'it  seems  that  these  myste- 
rious ones,  after  all,  are  in  this  old  buffalo  skull.' 
Iktomi  made  a  light  of  some  dry  grass  and 
looked  in  at  the  large  hole  in  the  back  of  this 
skull.  It  was  very  dark  in  there,  but  the  people 
were  much  disturbed.  There  were  mice  dancing 
and  singing  in  there.  They  cried  with  very  fine 
voices,  'Do  go  away,  Iktomi.  Do  not  bother  us, 
for  we  wish  to  finish  our  dance.' 

"Nevertheless,  Iktomi,  wishing  to  see  these 
people,  thrust  his  head  in  at  the  larger  opening, 
and  the  mice  ran  out  of  the  smaller  holes, 
very  much  frightened.  Thus  Iktomi's  head 
became  fast  inside  the  buffalo  skull.  He  could 
not  remove  it.  So  he  arose  wearing  this  old 
skull.  He  cried  out  with  fear  because  his  eyes 
were  in  darkness. 

'  'O  good  spirits,'  cried  Iktomi,  'assist  ye  me  to 

260 


A         LONG         TRAIL 

get  out  of  this  evil  place!'  But  no  one  came  to 
help  Iktomi;  therefore  he  ran,  crying  for  assist- 
ance. He  came  to  the  river,  where  there  were 
many  trees.  Iktomi  wished  to  find  some  water, 
for  he  was  very  thirsty,  having  run  about  and 
cried  a  great  deal. 

"He  ran  against  a  tree.  'What  tree  is  this?' 
Iktomi  asked  this  one.  'I  am  the  oak  tree,'  said 
this  one.  'O  yes,  I  know  you,'  said  Iktomi.  'You 
stand  apart  somewhat  from  the  water.' 

"Iktomi  ran  forward  again.  He  came  against 
another  tree.  'What  tree  is  this?'  Iktomi  asked 
this  one.  'I  am  the  elm,'  said  this  one.  'O  yes,' 
said  Iktomi,  'I  know  you.  You  stand,  indeed, 
quite  near  to  the  water.' 

"Iktomi  ran  forward.  Yet  another  tree  stood 
in  the  way.  This  tree  bruised  Iktomi.  'He-he-he!' 
bawled  Iktomi,  'now  indeed  I  have  lost  some 
pieces  of  my  skin.  What  tree  has  done  this  to 
me?'  'I  am  the  cottonwood,'  said  this  one. 
'Why  do  you  run  thus  carelessly,  seeing  that  I 
stand  in  this  place?' 

'  'Oho,'  said  Iktomi,  'I  know  you.  You  stand 
very  near  to  the  water.  Now  I  shall  truly 
quench  my  thirst.' 

"So  Iktomi  ran  quickly  and  suddenly  he  fell 
head  downward  into  a  muddy  stream,  which  ran 
by  there.  Iktomi's  head  was  fast  in  the  bottom 
of  this  stream.  He  was  drowning.  Pehan,  the 
crane,  came  by  that  place.  He  was  wading  and 

261 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

he  wished  to  find  some  fat  snails.  Pehan  was 
thus  looking  into  the  water  when  Iktomi's  great 
toe  appeared  moving.  Iktomi's  moccasin  was 
torn;  therefore,  his  toe  was  seen  moving. 

"Pehan  seized  Iktomi's  great  toe  and  pulled 
very  hard.  He  drew  Iktomi  out  of  the  stream, 
leaving  the  buffalo  skull  in  the  mud.  Iktomi  ran 
homeward.  His  face  was  bleeding  and  very 
muddy." 

The  sister  was  pleased  with  this  story.  She 
smiled  with  a  rapt,  far-away  expression,  which 
the  flickering  firelight  converted  into  a  look  of 
most  flattering  attention. 

"It  appears,  older  sister,"  said  Etapa,  "that  you 
like  to  hear  stories  of  Ikto'." 

"Yes,  indeed,  younger  brother,"  she  mur- 
mured. "Who  does  not?" 

So  Etapa  again  told  a  story  of 

IKTOMI   AND    THE    NIGHT-JAR 

"Once  Iktomi  wished  very  much  to  be  a  night- 
jar. He  wished  to  dart  downward,  holding  his 
wings  so,"  and  the  mimic  sprang  lightly  to  his 
feet  and  ran  forward  several  steps  with  a 
swooping  motion  and  with  his  arms  akimbo. 

"Iktomi  felt  deeply  about  this.  He  went  about 
watching  the  night-jars.  'Gh-o-o-o-o-g!'  said  the 
night-jars.  They  darted  upward  and  soared 
aloft  very  prettily. 

262 


A        .LONG        TRAIL 

"  'O  some  mysterious  one,  do  make  me  a  night- 
jar. I  wish  to  dart  downward,  making  a  loud 
noise  with  my  mouth/  said  Iktomi. 

"He  cried  aloud  and  often  to  the  night-jars. 
One  of  these  birds  heard  Iktomi  speaking. 
This  one  took  pity  on  Iktomi. 

;  'Thus  I  understand,'  said  this  one,  'you  wish 
to  be  a  night-jar,  that  you  wish  to  dart  down- 
ward, thus.  Gh-o-o-o-g!'  said  the  night-jar." 

The  mimic  was  upon  his  feet  yet.  He  darted 
to  and  fro,  imitating  the  movements  of  the 
birds  with  lively  gestures.  One  not  seeing  him 
and  understanding  would  have  thought  that  sev- 
eral crazy  night-jars  were  trying  to  outdo  each 
other  with  their  outlandish  noises. 

'  'Gh-o-o-o-g!  gh-o-o-o-o-g!'  said  this  night-jar. 
'Come  ye  thus,  Iktomi.  Lie  here  upon  your  back 
upon  this  rock — gh-o-o-o-g.  I  will  make  a  great 
wind  —  gh-o-o-o-g  —  gh-o-o-o-g — ek-kek,  ka-a-a- 
ak,'  said  the  night-jar.  'Thus  the  wind  shall  go 
into  you,  gh-o-o-o-g,'  said  the  night-jar.  'Gh-o- 
o-o-g,' — he  indeed  made  a  great  wind.  Iktomi 
felt  this  wind  blowing  all  about  him.  Suddenly 
he  felt  himself  borne  aloft.  'Gh-o-o-o-g,  ek-kek, 
ka-a-a-ak,'  said  Iktomi;  and  thus,  they  say,  he 
became  a  night-jar." 

This  story,  because  of  its  mimicry,  was  very 
amusing  and,  though  she  had  often  heard  it,  Zint- 
kala  laughed  delightedly. 

263 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

The  little  voyagers  did  not  leave  this  camp 
until  long  after  sunrise  in  the  morning.  It  was 
with  difficulty  they  could  tear  themselves  away, 
and,  while  they  were  still  within  range,  they 
turned  more  than  once  to  look  back  at  the  fringe 
of  willows  which  marked  the  spot  where  a 
mother's  kettle  had  hung. 

Day  after  day  they  followed  the  river's  course 
across  the  prairie  country — a  prairie  of  rich 
grasses  and  flowers,  abounding  in  small  life. 
There  was  no  lack  of  food,  edible  roots,  ground- 
squirrels,  young  grouse,  curlews  and  river  birds 
and  wild  currants  in  abundance.  A  native  boy 
with  bow  and  arrow,  and  a  string  for  snare,  must 
indeed  have  been  a  shiftless  lad  to  have  gone 
hungry  in  this  country  in  the  summer  time.  But 
Zintkala  did  her  share  in  the  providing.  She 
had  a  positive  genius  for  discovering  things  good 
to  eat,  and  so,  upon  the  whole,  the  voyagers 
lived  rather  luxuriously.  Now  and  then  they 
met  with  elk,  deer  or  antelope,  but  Etapa  was 
not  strong  enough  to  drive  an  arrow  through 
one  of  these  large  animals,  and,  as  he  now  had 
but  five  of  the  Cree  arrows  left,  he  could  not 
afford  to  risk  losing  them.  In  Iron  Soldier's 
ammunition  pouch,  also,  there  were  not  many 
bullets,  and  in  his  horn  but  little  powder.  His 
gun,  which  the  boy  secretly  hoped  might  finally 
become  his  own  property,  was  of  a  peculiar 
model.  The  weapon  known  in  the  '5o's  as  the 

264 


A         LONG        TRAIL 

"buffalo  gun"  was  made  especially  for  the  robe 
hunter,  and  was  designed  for  horseback  hunting. 
It  had  an  ordinary  rifle,  or  rather  musket,  breech 
and  stock,  but  the  barrel  was  usually  but  four- 
teen inches,  and  never  exceeded  sixteen  inches 
in  length.  It  had  no  sights — the  hunter  simply 
ran  his  eye  along  the  smooth,  round  barrel — and 
was  intended  chiefly  for  single  hand  use  when 
the  horseman  was  in  swift  pursuit  of  buffalo  or 
elk.  However,  the  gun  was  a  strong  shooter, 
carrying  but  twelve  bullets  to  the  pound,  and 
was  effective  when  carefully  aimed  at  long  range. 
This  weapon  was  almost  as  noisy  as  a  small  can- 
non, and  was  also  expensive  to  use  where  bullets 
were  accounted  as  currency. 

Etapa  regarded  this  gun  with  awe,  and  carried 
it  proudly.  Only  the  great  hunters  among  his 
people  were  able  to  afford  such  guns,  and  when 
Zintkala,  longing  for  a  piece  of  juicy  venison, 
would  urge  him  to  shoot  at  elk  or  deer,  the  boy 
would  answer,  "Whi,  Tanke!  the  gun  of  Iron 
Soldier  makes  a  very  great  noise.  Thus  people 
a  long  way  off  might  hear  me  shooting  and  so 
the  enemy  would  come  to  take  us." 

To  tell  the  truth,  the  boy  was  somewhat  fear- 
ful of  firing  so  powerful  a  gun,  which  sometimes 
bruised  the  shoulder,  and  with  the  manner  of 
loading  of  which  he  was  not  well  acquainted. 

As  they  traveled  westward  the  voyagers  grad- 
ually left  the  rich  green  of  the  fertile  prairies 

265 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

behind  them,  and  climbed  the  plateau  of  the 
arid  plains,  into  the  country  of  sagebush,  cactus 
and  buffalo  grass;  but  they  were  still  travers- 
ing a  land  of  plenty;  the  ground-squirrels  were 
yet  abundant,  and  there  were  sage  hens,  grouse 
and  marmots  in  great  numbers.  Now  and  then, 
too,  a  fat  badger,  wandering  away  from  its 
burrow,  was  overtaken  and  pierced  with  an 
arrow.  These  furnished  juicy  meat,  and  the  oil 
ran  down  the  brown  chins  of  the  voyagers  as 
they  stuffed  themselves  to  repletion. 

Having  outworn  their  moccasins,  and  with  no 
buckskins  to  replace  them,  the  children  were 
now  forced  to  go  with  bare  feet.  Though  their 
soles  were  toughened  by  long  travel,  they  were 
not  impervious  to  the  keen  spines  of  the  cactus 
and  their  way  was  sometimes  difficult  and 
painful. 


366 


CHAPTER   XXVI 
THE   VALLEY    OF    DESOLATION 

One  morning  the  little  voyagers  came  sud- 
denly upon  the  mouth  of  a  creek,  which  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  Oglalas  in  the  seasons  of 
small  fruits  and  of  plums.  The  children,  on 
account  of  extreme  heat,  had  been  traveling  of 
nights  for  two  days  and  had  not  realized,  having 
kept  within  the  monotonous  river  valley,  how 
far  they  had  advanced  into  the  heart  of  their 
own  country.  Etapa  was  first  to  discover  famil- 
iar ground. 

"Hoye,  Tanke!"  he  shouted  explosively.  "Here 
are  the  plum  trees  of  the  Wakpala  where  we 
indeed  used  to  gather  plums.  Ya-la!  Ya-la!" 
and  he  ran  whooping  to  the  crest  of  a  low  bluff. 
Zintkala  followed,  unbelieving,  but  in  a  whirl 
of  excitement. 

Once  upon  the  highlands  there  burst  upon 
them,  in  the  clear  atmosphere,  familiar  sights  on 
every  hand.  Upon  their  left  was  a  gray  mound 
of  neutral  tint  which  they  knew  as  the  Hill  of 
the  Porcupine.  Upon  their  right,  to  north  and 
west,  there  stretched,  in  dark,  irregular  outlines, 
the  wonder  country  of  the  Mini-skanskan,  or 
god-waters,  the  sacred  ground  of  the  Black 
Hills.  In  their  front  there  extended  the 

267 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

ragged-edged  tablelands  of  the  upper  Smoky 
River,  lying  like  a  dense  and  convoluted  cloud 
along  the  horizon. 

Joy  convulsed  the  little  voyagers.  They 
stretched  out  their  arms  to  this  beloved  land 
and,  with  streaming  eyes,  cried  to  their  people 
that  they,  Zintkala  and  Etapa,  were  indeed  com- 
ing back  to  them. 

"Ina!  Ina!  Ate!  Ate!  We  are  coming! 
We  are  coming!  Etapa — Zintkala — your  son — 
your  daughter!"  they  cried,  with  the  joy  of  home 
arrival  already  in  their  hearts.  It  seemed  to 
them  that  the  beloved  mother  and  father  whose 
names  they  shouted  must  surely  hear  their 
voices  and  that  these  anxious  ones  would  hasten 
to  meet  them. 

Only  one  long  day's  march  with  the  travois  lay 
between  them  and  the  tepees  of  their  people. 
After  the  first  transports  of  discovery,  in  which 
their  eyes  drank  in  every  detail  of  the  familiar 
land,  the  fierce  home  hunger  gripped  their 
hearts,  and  they  were  instantly  impatient  of 
everything  which  could  impede  their  progress. 

With  one  accord  they  ran  back  to  the  plum 
thicket,  and  there,  in  a  secure  place  of  hiding, 
deposited  their  blankets,  the  carcajou  skin,  the 
gun  and  accoutrements  of  Iron  Soldier,  every 
article  they  had  carried  save  the  light  bow  and 
arrows  of  the  boy.  They  divided  these,  Zint- 
kala carrying  the  five  arrows,  Etapa  the  bow  in 

268 


THE    VALLEY    OF    DESOLATION 

hand.  These  light  weapons,  as  they  held  them, 
were  rather  a  help  than  a  hindrance  in  run- 
ning. 

Thus  equipped  for  speed  they  set  out  going  at 
a  swift  trot  across  the  open  plain.  They  had  a 
perfect  guide  in  a  certain  bold  prominence  of 
the  Smoky  River  breaks.  This  cloud-touching 
bluff  was  but  a  half-hour's  walk  from  the  Oglala 
village  and  its  crest  was  the  lookout  point  of 
scouts  who  watched  for  the  appearance  of  buffa- 
loes, of  enemies  or  strangers,  or  of  parties 
returning  from  the  chase. 

Ardently  the  little  voyagers  hoped  that  keen 
eyes  upon  that  bluff,  toward  night,  would  discern 
their  own  approach  and  at  a  great  distance,  and 
that  some  one  with  ponies  would  come  out  to 
meet  them.  In  all  their  long  durance  they  had 
never  so  burned  with  impatience. 

On  and  on  they  ran.  With  eight  hundred 
miles  of  successful  journeying  behind  them,  with 
perfect  health  and  unconquerable  wills,  their 
muscles  had  grown  to  a  hardihood  of  endurance 
which  was  nothing  less  than  astonishing. 

Simple  children  in  mind  and  heart,  innocent 
as  the  birds  and  animals  of  their  wilderness,  they 
had,  with  these,  attained  the  supreme  command 
of  those  forces  of  body  and  brain  which  make 
for  the  "survival  of  the  fittest."  Truth  compels 
the  admission,  however,  that  they  were  not,  at 
this  time,  as  enticing  in  appearance  as  most  of 

269 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

the  wild  things  of  their  wilderness.  They  had 
lost  'Lizbet's  comb  in  crossing  the  Missouri  and 
their  hair  hung  in  tangled,  unkempt  braids. 
Their  buckskins  were  worn,  torn  and  dirty,  their 
leggins  in  tatters.  But  they  had  kept  their 
bodies  clean,  as  healthy  Indian  children  always 
do  where  there  is  water  to  swim  in. 

The  soles  of  their  feet  had  become  toughened 
by  barefoot  travel  until  only  the  keener  spines 
of  the  cactus  would  penetrate  them.  Bristling 
patches  of  these  needle  points  they  avoided  with 
a  sub-conscious  dexterity,  as  they  ran.  They 
had  eyes  for  the  ground,  although  their  gaze 
was  fixed  with  intent  and  passionate  longing 
upon  a  certain  sharp  projection  against  the  south- 
western horizon. 

Noon  came  and  found  them  still  going  at  a 
swinging  trot.  They  had  stopped  but  once  to 
drink  sparingly — they  knew  better  than  to  fill 
themselves  with  water — at  a  small  stream.  They 
were  again  burning  with  thirst  when  they  came 
upon  a  little  creek  which  marked  the  longer  half 
of  their  run.  Joyously  they  halted  here  to  drink 
water — a  few  swallows  at  a  time — to  rest,  and 
finally  to  eat  some  hard  and  tasteless  strips  of 
dried  meat  which  they  had  saved  with  the  provi- 
dence (I  say  it  advisedly)  of  their  kind,  for  an 
emergency. 

This  rest  and  refreshment  revived  them.  Like 
a  pair  of  tireless  foxes  they  were  up  and  off 

270 


THE    VALLEY    OF    DESOLATION 

again.  And  now  as  they  came  upon  the  high- 
lands, their  goal,  in  a  shimmer  of  heat  radiation, 
loomed  large  and  specter-like  against  the  sky 
line.  Two  hours  more  of  running  and  they 
could  plainly  see  the  pine  trees  upon  the  breaks 
opposite  the  Oglala  town. 

Home — home — home,  their  rapidly  pounding 
hearts  beat  to  this  rhythm,  and  their  muscles 
grew  more  pliant,  their  feet  lighter  as  they  sped. 
Their  eyes  sought  the  crest  of  the  hill  of  look- 
out for  the  figure  of  a  lone  watcher.  Surely 
there  was  no  scout  posted,  else  they  would  have 
seen  him  making  signals.  But  they  did  not 
pause  to  consider  or  to  ask  each  other  questions. 
They  were  too  near  to  home.  In  their  eager 
drumming  hearts  there  was  no  room  for  doubts 
or  fears. 

Not  until  they  had  rushed  over  the  crest  of  a 
rise  which  commanded  a  wide  view  of  the  river 
valley  did  they  realize  to  what  vain  purpose  they 
had  run  so  far  though  so  tirelessly. 

Upon  all  the  river's  reach  which  lay  before 
them  there  were  to  be  seen  no  tepees,  no  graz- 
ing ponies,  no  signs  of  life.  The  Oglalas  were 
gone,  and  above  their  deserted  village  site  black 
vultures  soared,  casting  ominous  eyes  of  inquiry 
upon  the  bleaching,  shredded  bones  of  their 
abandoned  camp. 

Who  shall  describe  the  desolation  of  those 
young  souls?  My  pen  cannot  attempt  the  task. 

271 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

With  a  wild  home  hunger  in  their  faces,  with 
black  despair  in  their  hearts,  they  ran  forward 
with  arms  outstretched  in  piteous  yearning. 
"Ina!  Ina!  Ate!  Ate!"  They  fell  upon  the 
sacred  ground,  once  sheltered  by  a  mother's 
tepee,  and  buried  their  faces  in  the  earth. 

Thus  they  lay,  with  heartbroken  cries  and 
bitter  wailings,  mingling  their  tears  with  the 
dust.  And  thus  night  found  them,  exhausted 
with  weeping,  and  merciful  sleep  descended  and 
clothed  them  with  unconsciousness. 

Naturally  there  came  reaction  to  their  healthy 
natures  in  the  morning.  Zintkala  was  first  to 
awake,  opening  her  eyes  at  the  touch  of  the 
sun's  rays  upon  their  lids.  She  looked  about  her 
in  bewilderment.  She  had  been  dreaming  and 
was  playing  within  her  mother's  tepee  with  all 
the  cheerful  sounds  of  an  Oglala  camp  in  her 
ears.  The  rude  call  to  reality,  to  the  drear  pros- 
pect of  the  deserted  valley,  like  the  stroke  of  a 
whip,  wrenched  a  cry  of  pain  from  her  lips. 
Etapa  leaped  to  his  feet  in  alarm,  and  stared 
about  him  for  an  instant  in  bewilderment.  Then 
he,  too,  realized  where  he  was.  But  his  stomach 
was  empty  and  hunger  instantly  asserted  a  claim 
paramount  to  that  of  grief. 

"Hoye,  Tanke,"  he  cried,  "let  us  at  once  go 
back  to  the  village  of  the  pispiza,  that  we  may 
have  good  meat  to  eat.  Also  we  must  get  our 
blankets  and  the  gun  of  Iron  Soldier.  I  think 

272 


THE    VALLEY    OF    DESOLATION 

that  we  should  stay  at  this  place  until  the  Ogla- 
las  return  from  the  buffalo  killing." 

Immediately  the  little  girl  responded  to  his 
more  cheerful  mood.  "Nakaes,  younger 
brother,"  she  said,  "what  you  say  is  indeed 
wise.  I  think,  also,  that  the  Oglalas  may  have 
returned  when '  we  shall  come  back  from  the 
wakpala." 

"Ho,  they  will  come  back  soon,"  asserted  the 
boy  stoutly.  "They  will  also  bring  many  ponies 
which  they  have  taken  from  the  enemy.  We 
shall  thus  obtain  better  horses  than  those  which 
the  wasecun  killed." 

Their  long  exhaustive  run  and  the  paroxysm 
of  grief  which  followed  were  speedily  forgotten 
in  hopes  born  of  the  morning  and  of  reinvigor- 
ating  sleep. 

They  only  stopped  to  examine  the  trail  of  the 
departed  villagers,  and,  when  they  had  learned 
that  their  people  had  surely  gone  to  the  north- 
west, they  were  certain — seeing  that  women  and 
children  had  been  taken — that  all  had  gone  in 
pursuit  of  the  buffaloes  which  they  had  discov- 
ered were  a  long  way  off  at  this  season. 

So  they  turned  their  faces  toward  the  creek  of 
the  plums  again.  Upon  the  highland  this  trail 
soon  brought  them  to  the  "village  of  the 
pispiza,"  a  prairie  dog  town,  of  wide  extent 
and  a  numerous  population.  The  cunning 
hunter  approached  the  outskirts  of  this  commu- 

273 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

nity  with  great  caution,  creeping  for  a  long  dis- 
tance behind  sage  bushes.  A  brace  of  fat 
marmots  were  his  reward,  and  these,  roasted 
over  a  fire  of  buffalo  chips,  made  a  savory  break- 
fast for  the  famished  ones. 

They  reached  the  creek  of  the  plums  at  noon 
the  next  day,  secured  their  cached  effects  and 
returned  as  leisurely  to  the  abandoned  camp  of 
their  people. 


274 


CHAPTER   XXVII 
"SCILI!    SCILI!" 

Among  the  breaks  at  the  mouth  of  a  walled 
canon  where  a  small  brook  trickled  through  a 
deeply  worn  slash  in  the  sand-rock,  opposite  the 
site  of  their  deserted  village,  the  little  Sioux 
made  their  camp.  There  was  shelter  from 
storms  under  a  jutting  rock  and  their  retreat  was 
hidden  by  a  dense  fringe  of  low  scrub  pine. 

There  was  only  one  open  way  of  ingress  or 
egress,  and  from  their  elevated  niche  they  could, 
if  awake,  hear  or  see  the  approach  of  any  unwary 
creatures.  At  their  rear  there  was  a  precipitous 
crevasse  which  led,  in  a  tortuous  and  somewhat 
perilous  ascent,  to  the  heights  above.  Thus, 
with  the  judgment  of  wild  things,  they  chose  a 
lair  for  their  hiding.  They  did  not  build  fires  in 
this  place.  When  they  wished  to  cook  meat  they 
crossed  the  river  valley  and  used  the  stone- 
covered  fire-hole  of  their  mother's  tepee. 

Every  morning  they  took  the  precaution  of 
mounting  to  the  crest  of  the  butte  upon  the 
tableland,  where  they  could  scan  leagues  of  sur- 
rounding country  for  signs  of  friends  or  foes. 
Often  they  lingered  for  an  hour  or  two  upon 
this  elevation,  breathing  with  delight  its  buoyant 
rarefied  atmosphere  and  enjoying  the  keen  sense 

275 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

of  exhilaration  which  a  great  height  inspires. 
The  prospect  from  this  outlook  was  indeed  mag- 
nificent. To  the  north  there  lay,  at  a  depression 
of  more  than  one  thousand  feet,  sixty  miles  of 
undulating  plains,  stretching  to  black  elevations 
of  pine-clad  hills.  Looking  down  upon  this 
country  the  eye  could  trace,  for  many  leagues, 
the  winding  courses  of  timber-fringed  creeks. 
In  that  marvelous  atmosphere  single  trees  stood, 
clearly  defined,  at  the  limit  of  a  day's  journey. 
To  south  and  west  of  the  butte,  closely 
touching  its  elevations  at  points,  a  high  table- 
land extended  to  the  valley  of  the  Running 
Water.  It  would  have  been  a  shrewd  enemy 
indeed  who  could  have  crossed  this  country 
unobserved  when  they  were  on  the  butte. 

From  this  point  of  vantage  the  little  voyagers 
watched,  with  vivid  interest,  the  now  gathering 
herds  of  antelope,  bands  of  elk,  and  the  move- 
ments of  black-tail  deer  going  in  and  out  of  the 
coulee  below.  All  these  creatures  seemed  to 
realize  fully  that  the  country  was  cleared  of  its 
hunters.  Their  movements  were  leisurely,  nat- 
ural and  restful.  Their  plentiful  numbers  and 
their  unsuspicious  attitudes  fired  Etapa  with  a 
desire  to  kill  one  of  those  big  elks,  or  at  least  a 
fine  black-tail  buck. 

One  morning,  just  as  they  had  mounted  to  the 
crest  of  the  highlands,  the  children  came  face  to 
face  with  an  antlered  bull  about  to  descend  into 

276 


'S      C      I      L      I!         S      C      I      L      I!' 

the  canon.  As  this  big  fat  elk,  at  a  few  paces 
distant,  wheeled  to  trot  away,  Etapa  drew  his 
bow.  The  excited  lad  would  surely  have 
launched  an  arrow  into  the  animal's  flank,  and 
so  have  lost  it,  but  for  the  wise  action  of  the 
sister.  Zintkala  leaped  forward,  caught  the 
shooter's  arm  and  so  deflected  the  shaft  from  its 
aim.  She  ran  quickly  after  the  arrow  that  Etapa 
might  not  scold  her. 

Seeing  that,  after  all,  he  was  not  displeased, 
she  spoke  her  mind  freely  on  returning  the 
weapon. 

"That  was  very  bad  indeed,  brother,  to  shoot 
at  hehaka  when  you  could  only  wound  him," 
she  chided.  "It  is  not  thus  that  a  hunter  should 
do,  needlessly  making  pain  and  losing  his 
arrows." 

"Ho!"  cried  the  boy,  in  pretended  surprise,  "do 
you  not  think  my  arrow  would  have  gone 
through  hehaka's  two  skins?" 

"That  is  foolish  talk,"  replied  the  sister  flatly. 

"But  see,  look,  look!"  He  fitted  an  arrow  and 
swiftly  drew  his  bow-string  until  the  head  of  the 
shaft  touched  his  fingers.  He  aimed  straight 
overhead  and  let  fly  the  arrow.  It  passed  nearly 
out  of  sight  but  was  deflected  by  a  stiff  breeze, 
fell  into  the  canon  behind,  and  was  splintered 
upon  a  rock. 

"Now  that  was  indeed  careless,"  grieved  the 
boy,  when  he  had  recovered  the  useless  shaft; 

277 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

and  seeing  him  thus  repentant,  Zintkala  said 
nothing.  "I  will  save  the  tooth,"  said  Etapa. 
"See,  sister,  only  the  wood  is  broken.  I  have 
only  four  of  the  Cree  arrows  left,"  he  added, 
sorrowfully.  "I  must  now  be  very  careful  lest 
they  be  lost." 

"Why  do  you  not  use  the  gun  of  Iron  Soldier, 
seeing  that  you  wish  to  kill  some  large  animals?" 
Zintkala  asked.  "I  do  not  see  that  there  are 
any  people  in  this  country  who  will  hear  you 
shoot." 

"Whi!  Tanke!  That  is  what  I  will  do,"  cried 
the  boy.  "It  was  very  silly  that  I  did  not  bring 
that  gun  this  morning.  Only  think,  I  could  have 
sent  a  bullet — z-z-z-z  zan!  straight  through  that 
bull." 

"Then,"  admitted  the  sister,  "we  could  have 
some  buckskin  for  moccasins." 

"Always  after  this  I  will  carry  the  gun,"  Etapa 
declared,  never  doubting  that  he  should  meet 
another  bull  at  that  same  place. 

Upon  returning  to  their  camp,  Etapa  examined 
the  buffalo  gun  for  the  hundredth  time — very 
carefully.  There  was  no  ramrod  attached,  as 
these  guns  were  usually  loaded  in  the  saddle 
while  the  hunter's  horse  was  in  motion,  and  a 
rammer  could  not  be  used. 

The  horseman  carried  his  powder  in  a  gradu- 
ated horn  or  flask,  the  mouth  of  which  would  fit 
the  muzzle  of  his  weapon.  When  the  powder 

278 


'S      C      I      L      I!         S      C      I      L      I!' 

was  in  he  took  a  wet  bullet  from  his  mouth, 
slipped  it  into  the  smooth-bore  opening  and 
chucked  his  gun-stock  heavily  upon  his  saddle 
pommel.  Then  he  put  a  percussion  cap  upon  its 
tube  as  best  he  could  and  was  ready  for  action. 

Etapa,  however,  whittled  a  short  ramrod  from 
a  piece  of  iron-wood.  Then  as  Iron  Soldier's 
powder  horn  had  no  charger  attached,  he  guessed 
at  a  proper  amount  of  powder,  pouring  it  out  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand.  He  knew  the  gun  was 
not  loaded,  for  he  had  tested  it,  as  he  had  seen 
Indian  hunters  do,  by  raising  the  hammer  and 
blowing  through  barrel  and  tube.  There  was  a 
box  of  caps  in  Iron  Soldier's  bullet  pouch,  and 
so — for  an  Indian  boy  has  not  the  self-assurance 
of  his  paleface  brothers — Etapa  found  the  load- 
ing of  a  "sacred-iron"  not  so  formidable  a  task  as 
he  had  supposed.  He  was,  in  fact,  very  proud  of 
the  feat,  and  made  no  little  parade  of  his  exploit. 

"Sister,  I  have  put  a  great  charge  in  the  gun 
of  Iron  Soldier,"  he  bragged.  "Now  let  us  see 
if  mato  osansan  (grizzly  bear)  will  dare  to  show 
himself  at  these  pines.  Huh!  I  think  he  does 
not  care  to  have  a  hole  made  in  his  head,  there- 
fore he  does  not  appear." 

The  sister,  who  was  mending  a  fresh  rent  in 
her  skirts,  smiled  as  the  lad  paraded  his  gun 
with  the  swaggering  airs  of  a  young  hunter. 

The  next  morning  he  carried  the  weapon  on 
their  trip  to  the  butte,  but  they  met  no  bull  elk 

279 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

at  the  head  of  the  canon  trail.  On  their  way 
down,  however,  and  near  the  foot  of  the  canon, 
a  half  grown  bear  cub  suddenly  reared  itself, 
with  a  grunt  of  surprise,  among  some  low  bushes 
close  beside  their  path. 

In  frantic  haste  the  plucky  young  hunter 
cocked  and  leveled  his  weapon.  The  gun 
exploded  with  a  roar  which  echoed  like  a  clap 
of  thunder  through  all  the  gulches.  The  boy 
turned  a  back  somersault  and  the  gun  flew  far 
over  his  head.  The  bear  rushed  away,  grunting 
in  great  affright,  and  Zintkala  screamed  in  ter- 
ror, supposing  for  the  instant  that  Etapa  had 
been  killed.  With  a  hand  upon  his  face  the  lad 
lay,  dazed  for  the  moment.  Then  he  arose  with 
a  bruised  and  bleeding  cheek. 

"Alas,  older  sister,"  he  said  ruefully,  "I  have 
put  too  much  strong  fire-dust  into  the  barrel  and 
now  the  gun  of  Iron  Soldier  has  gone  upward 
and  escaped.  I  do  not  know  where  the  sacred- 
iron  has  gone." 

But  Zintkala  had  seen  the  gun  fall  among  the 
bushes  a  few  yards  distant,  and  now,  having 
recovered  from  her  fright,  she  ran  and  picked  it 
up.  Etapa  forgot  his  hurt  in  his  delight  at  find- 
ing the  weapon  uninjured.  He  had  merely  dis- 
covered one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  stout  and 
doubly  effective  buffalo  gun. 

"Waste!  Waste!"  he  cried  joyfully,  when  he 
had  examined  lock,  stock  and  barrel.  "Now  I 

280 


"S      C      I      L      I!        S      C      I      L      I!" 

will  load  this  gun  more  carefully."  This  he  did 
upon  returning  to  camp,  not  charging  with  more 
than  half  the  powder  he  had  used  before. 

For  several  days  he  carried  the  gun  to  and 
from  the  butte,  but  saw  no  more  big  game  on  the 
trail.  During  this  time  the  children  subsisted 
upon  marmots  and  grouse,  killed  with  bow  and 
arrow,  and  upon  such  berries  and  edible  roots  as 
they  could  find.  They  longed  for  some  fat  ven- 
ison, but  Etapa  yet  lacked  confidence  in  his 
ability  to  handle  the  buffalo  gun.  He  went  sev- 
eral times  after  elk  or  antelope  which  strayed 
into  the  river  valley,  but  somehow,  while  he  was 
getting  ready  to  shoot,  each  time  the  animal  saw 
him  and  ran  away. 

Zintkala  said  nothing  about  these  failures; 
but  the  young  hunter,  in  losing  confidence,  lost 
something  also  of  self-respect,  and  so  began  to 
be  cross  and  disagreeable.  He  fretted  because 
the  Oglalas  were  so  long  gone  on  a  buffalo  hunt. 
He  wished  to  change  their  camp.  He  did  not 
like  the  place.  The  mosquitoes  were  very  bad — 
they  had  scarcely  felt  a  bite  among  their  pines — 
and  he  thought  there  were  some  very  poisonous 
snakes  in  a  hole  which  ran  under  the  ledge. 

"Younger  brother,  it  appears  that  you  are  very 
tiresome,"  Zintkala  said  one  morning.  "I  know 
where  there  are  some  very  fine  red  raspberries. 
They  are  a  long  way  off,  but  I  think  we  should 
go  to-day  and  camp  in  that  place,  where  we  can 

281 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

gather  a  very  large  quantity.  I  can  dry  some 
also  on  the  stones.  There  are  many  small  deer 
there,  very  tame,  and  perhaps  we  can  take  skins 
to  make  us  parfleches." 

Immediately  the  boy  became  all  animation. 
He  was  filled  with  delight  at  the  prospect  of 
change  and  the  taste  of  red  raspberries  was 
already  in  his  mouth. 

"Ho,  I  will  kill  some  of  those  deer,  surely,"  he 
boasted.  "I  will  shoot  them  with  the  gun  of  Iron 
Soldier."  v. 

So  they  decamped,  carrying  their  effects 
twenty  miles  or  more  up  the  Smoky  River  valley 
to  a  deep  slash  in  the  mountain  tableland,  which 
has  since  become  known,  to  freighters  and 
ranchmen,  as  "Salt  Pork  Canon."  This  deep 
canon  furnishes  the  only  pass  for  many  miles  by 
which  the  breaks  can  be  surmounted  except  by 
an  expert  climber. 

Several  miles  in  length,  many  hundreds  of 
feet  deep  at  its  mouth,  the  steep  slopes  of  this 
wedge-like  gap  are  thickly  clothed  with  pine  and 
are  cut  with  intricate  mazes  of  deep  ditches, 
canons  and  ravines. 

There  is  no  water  in  this  canon  save  in  a  wet 
season,  but  the  river  runs  under  the  rock  ledges 
at  its  mouth,  and  its  own  dry  run,  having  a  sand 
bed  at  the  bottom,  furnishes  an  easy  trail  for 
nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  gap. 

Upon  a  little  bench,  sheltered  by  a  cluster  of 

282 


"S      C      I      L      I!         S      C      I      L      I!" 

bullberry  bushes,  the  children  made  their  camp, 
and  in  the  morning  went  afield  in  search  of  ber- 
ries. Zintkala  had  timed  the  appearance  of 
ripe  fruit  very  well  indeed.  They  were  just  in 
season  to  find  raspberries  in  the  first  sugary 
stages  of  perfection,  and  they  returned  from  the 
heights,  where  the  best  bushes  grew,  with  faces 
and  hands  stained  a  carmine  pink,  painted  in 
fact  in  such  delicate  hues  as  no  art  of  their  own 
could  have  equaled. 

They  were  very  happy  at  this  place.  They 
made  baskets  of  willow  splints  to  use  in  gather- 
ing the  berries,  and  Zintkala  cured  a  large 
quantity  of  them,  which  the  dry  heat  of  mid- 
summer enabled  her  to  do  perfectly.  When 
Etapa  actually  killed  a  fine  young  doe  with  the 
buffalo  gun  their  cup  of  happiness  was  well  filled. 
They  now  had  juicy  venison  in  plenty  and  the 
tanned  skin — a  feat  of  leather-making  which 
they  accomplished  in  a  few  days — made  an 
excellent  parfleche  in  which  to  store  and  carry 
the  dried  fruit. 

Doubtless  they  would  have  stayed  in  this 
canon  contentedly  as  long  as  the  berries  lasted, 
but,  when  the  ripening  of  these  was  at  its  height, 
some  other  people,  who  knew  of  the  Oglalas' 
absence,  came  also  to  gather  fruit. 

The  brother  and  sister  had  one  morning 
mounted  nearly  to  the  head  of  the  big  canon, 
and  were  picking  berries  under  a  rock-ledge, 

283 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

within  view  of  the  trail  above,  when  a  number  of 
people,  on  horseback,  suddenly  rounded  a  point 
and  came  jogging  down  toward  them.  There 
were  men,  women  and  children  among  the 
riders,  and  at  first  view  the  brother  and  sister 
shouted  with  delight,  believing  that  the  Oglalas 
were  returning.  They  even  started  toward  the 
newcomers,  when  an  Indian,  wearing  a  strange 
head-dress,  appeared  upon  the  trail  directly 
below.  This  man's  approach,  because  of  the 
sand  in  which  his  pony  had  traveled,  they 
had  not  heard.  He  was  sitting  his  horse,  gun 
in  hand,  looking  directly  up  at  them,  a  scowl  of 
suspicious  inquiry  upon  his  painted  face. 

"Scili!  Scili!"  This  cry  of  terror  was  wrung 
from  Zintkala,  and  instantly  the  little  Sioux 
turned  and  fled  along  the  steep  slope. 

A  shot  followed  by  a  shrill  war-whoop  stirred 
the  deep  canon's  echoes,  but  the  shooter's  bullet 
aimed  at  a  pair  of  flying  squirrels  would  have  been 
about  as  certain  of  hitting  its  mark.  With  every 
nerve  thrilling  with  a  just  horror  of  those 
Pawnee  enemies,  the  little  voyagers  sped,  scud- 
ding like  hunted  rabbits  among  the  rocks  and 
trees.  Zintkala  had  dropped  her  basket  of 
berries,  but  Etapa  clung  to  his  gun  and  so  fell 
behind  at  the  start. 

As  they  ran  they  heard  the  rider  below 
yelling  fierce  instructions  to  those  in  his  rear, 
and  then,  casting  a  scared  backward  glance, 

284 


;'S      C      I      L      I!         S      C      I      L      I!" 

Etapa  saw  him  disappear  in  a  flurry  of  sand  dust 
as  he  dashed  down  the  canon.  Instantly  the 
Sioux  boy  understood.  While  his  followers 
divided  their  forces,  scaling  the  level  heights  to 
watch  the  race  and  give  signals  to  those  below, 
and  others  followed  directly  upon  the  heels  of 
the  pursued,  this  painted  one  would  ride  into 
the  mouth  of  the  first  deep  cross-canon  to  inter- 
cept or  shoot  the  runners  as  they  passed.  It 
seemed  that  only  a  miracle  could  prevent  the 
Pawnees  from  surrounding  and  capturing  him- 
self and  sister.  The  boy's  mind  acted  with  that 
quick  instinct  or  intuition  which  is  the  gift  of 
the  child  of  nature  and  which  was  his  in  large 
measure. 

Yet  the  ruse  he  adopted  was  simple — too 
simple  to  have  been  conceived  by  a  yelling 
horde,  even  of  Indians,  in  hot  pursuit.  The  boy 
exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  in  a  sudden  burst 
of  speed,  and  in  spite  of  his  impediments  over- 
took and  passed  the  swift  Zintkala. 

"Tanke!"  he  gasped,  "do  not  run  ahead!" 
The  sister  heard  and  heeded,  and  so  followed 
close  at  his  heels.  At  a  turn  they  descended  the 
steep  slope  of  a  gulch,  leaping  from  rock  to 
rock,  among  a  sheltering  growth  of  scrub  pine. 
Half-way  down  the  scarp  the  boy  turned  sharply 
to  his  right  and  ran  directly  toward  the  canon 
trail  below.  With  reckless  leaps,  which  Zint- 
kala followed  with  the  temerity  of  a  mountain 

285 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

goat,  Etapa  led  their  flight,  quartering  the 
precipitous  steep  until  they  had  nearly  reached 
the  bottom  of  the  ravine.  Here,  in  the  shelter 
of  a  cluster  of  pines,  he  halted  and  the  two 
dropped  to  earth  like  hunted  foxes. 

They  suppressed  their  hard  breathings  and 
listened.  Upon  the  sand  bed  of  the  canon,  they 
heard  the  muffled  thumping  of  hoofs;  upon  the 
slopes  above,  the  sounds  of  footmen  in  pursuit. 
Only  for  a  minute  dared  they  wait.  As  they 
heard  the  lunging  ponies  go  by  below  they  slid 
to  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  shot  across  the 
canon  trail  and  into  the  opening  of  an  opposing 
gulch. 

Thus  for  the  moment  they  had  dodged  the 
whole  pack  of  pursuers  before  any  even  had  time 
to  reach  the  tableland  heights  and  thus  to  mark 
their  progress.  All  would  be  thrown  from  the 
scent  until  some  keen  searcher  for  their  trail 
should  discover  their  tracks  across  the  sand  bed. 
This  the  fleeing  ones  feared  must  soon  happen, 
for  their  only  hope  of  escape  lay  in  keeping  out 
of  sight,  in  covering  their  trail  and  securing  a 
hiding  place  until  night  should  fall  upon  the 
mazes  of  the  big  canon.  They  could  not  pass 
out  at  its  mouth,  nor  over  the  heights  above, 
without  instant  discovery  and  certain  capture. 

Worse  than  death,  they  dreaded  capture. 
Among  all  their  enemies  they  knew  of  none  so 
wicked  and  terrible  in  torture  as  the  Pawnee. 

286 


'S      C      I      L      I!         SOIL      I!" 

Scili!  The  very  name,  quickly  spoken,  had 
always  tingled  their  nerves  to  the  finger  tips. 
It  had  been  their  tepee  bug-a-boo,  and  so  great 
was  their  horror  of  the  Pawnee,  these  children 
would  have  welcomed  death  in  any  form,  would 
have  met  it  in  a  leap  from  some  precipitous 
height,  sooner  than  be  taken  alive. 

Thus  with  wild  and  frantic  energy  they  fled, 
keeping  to  the  rough  bottoms  of  ravines,  scram- 
bling over  boulders,  through  dense  thickets  of 
green  bush,  under  sheltering  rock-ledges  and 
over  pine-clad  scarps.  They  knew  that  their 
trail  could  and  would  be  followed,  that  their  only 
hope  was  to  make  it  long  and  difficult  and  to 
dodge  their  enemies  until  the  coming  on  of  dark- 
ness. Upon  the  middle  heights  of  the  canon 
the  pines  grew  thickly  wherever  there  was  foot- 
ing of  soil.  To  reach  these,  without  being  seen 
by  their  enemies  upon  the  opposite  slopes,  was 
the  cunning  problem  they  had  to  solve  before 
they  could  even  hope  for  surety  of  escape. 
With  the  eyes  of  running  partridges  they  kept 
to  that  cover  which  would  hide  them  from  the 
hunter's  line  of  vision.  In  this  winding  course 
they  passed  into  a  cross-ravine  and  so  mounted 
and  descended  into  another. 

This  feat  they  performed  three  times  with  no 
yells  from  the  opposing  bluffs  to  announce  dis- 
covery of  their  maneuver.  They  had  just 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  third  gulch,  which, 

287 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

like  the  main  canon,  had  a  dry  channel  of  sand 
at  the  bottom,  and  they  were  hesitating  to  make 
tracks  across  this  when  a  yell  greeted  their 
astonished  ears,  and  from  above  a  horseman 
spurred  at  them  in  a  furious  rush  and  flourishing 
a  war-club. 

Zintkala  turned  to  run,  but  Etapa,  seeing  the 
uselessness  of  flight,  raised  his  buffalo  gun  as 
the  enemy  was  almost  upon  him,  and  fired. 
Horse  and  man  pitched  forward  and  rolled  in 
the  sand.  The  pony,  which  had  a  bullet  in  its 
head,  landed  upon  its  side  and  on  top  of  the 
rider.  The  Sioux  boy  uttered  a  whoop  of  tri- 
umph, and,  as  the  Indian  struggled  to  get  out 
from  under  his  horse,  sprang  forward  and  dealt 
the  Pawnee  a  crushing  blow  with  his  gunstock. 
Again  and  again  he  struck  until  the  man  ceased 
struggling  and  lay  as  the  dead.  Then  the  shrill 
clear  note  of  the  victor  rang  through  all  the 
canon  and  was  repeated  by  the  rocks. 

"I  have  struck  a  Scili!  I,  even  I,  have  struck  a 
Scili!  E-e-e-yih!  Yi-hiii-yuh!"  For  the  moment 
he  was  wild  with  excitement,  and  his  barbaric 
little  soul  was  lifted  to  the  clouds  in  triumph. 
Then  his  sister  descended  upon  him.  She  seized 
him  by  an  arm  and  fairly  dragged  him  away 
from  the  fallen  Pawnee. 

"Let  us  fly  quickly!"  she  urged  in  frantic  under- 
tone. "All  the  Pawnees  will  come  and  we  are 
lost!" 

288 


"S      C      I      L      I!        S      C      I      L      I!" 

Thus  brought  to  his  senses,  but  with  bursting 
pride  in  his  breast,  the  lad  followed  Zintkala. 
"I  am  a  soldier — I  am  a  soldier,"  his  heart  sang, 
and  his  brain  whirled,  while  his  ears  were  hum- 
ming as  to  the  rhythm  of  a  hundred  war  drums. 
His  throat  became  dry  and  hot  from  choking  his 
desire  to  shout  his  own  name  and  proclaim  his 
deeds  to  the  enemy.  All  that  prevented  him 
whooping  thus  rashly  was  the  swiftly  speeding 
figure  in  his  front,  a  reminder  of  the  peril  behind 
and  of  the  horror  of  capture. 

Zintkala  led  the  way,  dodging  the  sand  bed, 
upward  to  the  first  cross-canon,  which  had  a 
rock  bottom.  Into  this  she  darted,  Etapa  fol- 
lowing. Though  her  ears  were  open  to  all 
sounds  she  heard  no  yells  on  the  other  slope  of 
the  wide  gap,  and  hope  took  possession  of  her. 

Intuitively  her  mind  grasped  the  situation. 
The  man  whom  Etapa  had  killed — if  indeed  he 
had  killed  him — was  a  hunter  who  had  traveled 
much  ahead  of  his  fellows,  and  so  knew  nothing 
of  the  chase  they  were  making.  Etapa's  war- 
shout  had  sounded  so  strangely  that  the  Paw- 
nees might  well  have  thought  some  one  of  their 
number  was  hallooing,  nor  might  they  know 
from  what  direction  such  strangely  repeated 
cries  had  come. 

So  with  increased  confidence  she  sped  on,  fol- 
lowing the  tactics  they  had  already  used  in  tak- 
ing their  line  of  flight.  The  lay  of  the  canons 

289 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

and  cross-ravines  now  favored  them,  and  they 
were  able  to  make  their  way  into  the  pine  belt 
without  further  danger  of  exposure.  They  now 
breathed  more  freely.  They  would  be  shrewd 
trailers  indeed  who  could  catch  them  within 
these  wide  copses  of  evergreen.  Here  was  the 
hard  silent  ground,  and  they  threaded  the  pine- 
clad  ravines,  walking  swiftly,  but  with  great  cau- 
tion until,  at  last,  in  joyful  surprise  they  found 
themselves  looking  down  upon  the  ledge  which 
sheltered  their  little  camp. 

"Waste!  Waste!"  they  breathed  to  each  other. 
"Stay,  Tanke,"  said  Etapa,  speaking  in  a  low  dry 
voice,  "I  myself  will  go  secretly  to  get  bur 
blankets  and  the  bow  and  arrows  and  some 
meat.  I  will  truly  leave  no  trail." 

The  sister  nodded  her  assent,  then  she  whis- 
pered, "There  is  good  water  in  the  basin  and  I 
am  so  thirsty." 

"I  will  not  drink  it  all,  surely,"  the  lad  assured 
her.  "I  will  fetch  you  some." 

Etapa  then  slipped  down  the  slope,  keeping 
among  the  pines,  dropping  in  light  leaps  from 
rock  to  rock.  He  was  obliged  to  go  in  a  round- 
about way,  but  at  the  end  of  an  hour  or  so  he 
returned,  bringing  all  their  camp  effects  and 
perhaps  a  half-pint  of  water  in  the  basin. 

"Waste,  younger  brother,  you  have  indeed 
done  well,"  murmured  Zintkala,  and  she  swal- 
lowed the  water  like  a  famished  creature. 

290 


'S      C      I      L      I!        S      C      I      L      I!" 

In  all  this  time  they  had  heard  nothing  of  the 
enemy.  Doubtless  the  Pawnees  were  making  a 
still  hunt,  but  the  young  Sioux  felt  security  in 
their  hiding  place.  No  creature  could  approach 
them  without  being  seen  or  heard,  and  they 
would  soon  be  refreshed  by  rest  and  ready  for 
instant  and  silent  flight  among  the  dense  pine 
copses.  With  excellent  reason  they  trusted  much 
to  the  speed  of  their  well  tried  legs. 

So  they  reclined  upon  the  pine  needles  with 
ears  and  eyes  keenly  alert.  They  dared  not 
talk,  but  the  boy  leaned  against  a  rock  and 
fondled  his  buffalo  gun.  He  felt  sure  that  he 
should  now  be  allowed  to  retain  the  weapon. 
His  cheeks  were  aglow  and  his  eyes  snapping 
with  the  recollection  of  his  deed,  which  he  lived 
over  again  and  again  in  imagination. 

Overhead  the  pines,  rustling  in  a  stiff  canon 
breeze,  sang  to  him,  and  the  burden  of  their 
soughing  was,"Akicita — soldier — soldier  of  the 
Oglalas." 


291 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
THE   BUFFALO    GHOST   WOMEN 

Whether  the  Pawnees  failed  to  find  the  trail 
of  the  fleet  runners,  or  whether  they  became 
fearful  lest  an  Oglala  camp  was  hidden  near  at 
hand,  cannot  be  known.  Very  likely  they  dis- 
covered the  body  of  the  dead  hunter  and  were 
incredulous  that  either  of  the  young  Sioux  they 
had  seen  should  have  killed  him.  At  any  rate 
the  little  voyagers  saw  no  more  of  them.  Night 
came  to  them  in  hiding  and  found  them  re- 
freshed with  alternate  "sleeps"  had  during  the 
afternoon. 

Under  cover  of  darkness  they  descended  to  the 
river  bottom,  and  traveled  swiftly  all  night  up 
the  Smoky.  They  followed  an  ancient  buffalo 
and  Indian  trail,  which  was  also  the  route  their 
people  had  taken  in  moving  from  their  village. 
They  ran  upon  this  deeply  rutted  road  all  night, 
and  morning  found  them  many  leagues  from  the 
big  canon  and  near  to  the  sources  of  the  Smoky 
River, 

When  daylight  came  they  found  cover  in  a 
bush  grown  coulee  at  the  head  of  which  they 
could  command  a  good  view  of  the  river  valley 
and  of  the  upland  plains  for  many  miles.  At 
this  camp  their  native  religious  instincts  stirred 

292 


THE    BUFFALO    GHOST    WOMEN 

them  deeply.  They  were  in  doubt  as  to  whether 
they  ought  not  to  dance  a  sacred  dance  to  the 
Waniyan  Tanka;  but  they  did  not  know  that 
this  would  be  acceptable  to  the  Great  Spirit.  So 
they  slept  but  little,  and  spent  the  day,  somewhat 
apart,  in  prayer  and  fasting.  They  were  very 
grateful  to  all  the  good  spirits  for  their  deliver- 
ance from  the  Pawnees,  and  they  prayed  very 
earnestly  that  they  might  be  guided  by  a  spirit- 
hand  in  following  the  Oglalas,  and  that  they 
might  safely  arrive  among  their  people. 

They  well  understood  the  dangers  of  plunging 
into  an  unknown  country,  even  upon  a  fresh  and 
well  worn  trail,  for  who  could  tell  how  soon  the 
Oglalas  might  become  separated  into  small 
bands  and  so  scattered,  in  the  chase  of  vast 
herds,  that  all  traces  of  their  march  should  dis- 
appear. Worse  still  many  war  parties  of  ene- 
mies might  be  on  the  watch  to  cut  off  any 
stragglers  who  should  seek  to  overtake  them. 
This  had  frequently  happened  on  their  marches. 
Again  the  Oglalas  might  make  a  great  circuit, 
returning  to  their  own  country  from  another 
direction,  and  so  the  voyagers  be  compelled  to 
travel  on  foot  until  the  snows  of  winter  should 
overtake  them.  Truly  the  brother  and  sister 
had  need  to  pray  for  guidance. 

On  the  following  night  the  trail  led  them  away 
from  the  river  and  across  the  more  level  plains. 
They  no  longer  had  the  plainly  marked  and 

293 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

often  deeply  rutted  buffalo  paths  to  follow,  but 
the  Oglalas  who  had  moved  were  more  than  a 
thousand  strong  and  their  herds  of  horses,  and 
their  numerous  travois  drags,  had  worn  a  broad 
smooth  trail  upon  the  prairies.  This  beaten 
roadway  made  good  walking  for  the  bare  feet, 
else  they  could  not  have  traveled  at  night  on 
account  of  the  cactus  spears. 

Wimimi,  the  full  moon,  also  gave  assistance. 
Her  yellow  light  made  weird  shadow  pictures 
upon  the  rough  ground,  and  ghost  people  flitted 
hither  and  thither,  giving  one  a  sinking  at  the 
stomach  now  and  then.  Even  so  her  light  was 
better  than  darkness.  The  grass  trail  of  the 
Oglalas  could  be  seen  for  many  steps  [ahead. 
Upon  this  gray  fading  ribbon  of  road  the  voya- 
gers trudged  until  they  sank,  at  a  water  course, 
from  sheer  exhaustion. 

They  slept  until  nearly  midday,  when  they  set 
forward  again,  feeling  that  they  were  now  clear 
of  danger  from  the  Pawnees,  who  would  not  be 
likely  to  follow  upon  the  trail  of  a  great  number 
of  Oglalas.  For  several  days  they  now  traveled 
over  a  rolling  plain,  cut  with  numerous  small  dry 
runs  and  timber-fringed  creeks. 

For  three  days  the  trail  led  them  steadily  to  the 
north,  and  they  passed,  at  no  great  distance,  the 
Sacred  Ground  of  the  pine  clad  hills  where  there 
were  wonderful  streams  of  boiling  water — the 
springs  of  Mini-skanskan.  The  eyes  of  the 

294 


THE    BUFFALO    GHOST    WOMEN 

voyagers  were  often  turned  upon  that  mysteri- 
ous, silent  country,  where  no  tribes  inhabited,  no 
hunters  intruded,  and  which  was  sacred  to  those 
good  spirits  who  were  able  to  control  the  thun- 
der people  and  prevent  them  from  doing  damage. 
In  that  silent  country  the  earth  was  red  and 
the  rocks  were  of  many  colors  and  very  beauti- 
ful, and  there  were  such  flowers  of  brilliant  hues 
as  could  nowhere  else  be  found.  There,  too, 
were  many  wonderful  birds  and  animals,  whom 
no  one  hunted,  and  who  lived  at  peace  with  each 
other.  There  igmu  hanska  (the  cougar)  and 
mato  osansan  (the  grizzly)  ate  only  berries  and 
sweet  herbs  and  did  not  kill  for  meat. 

It  was  not  a  good  country  for  hunters,  but  it 
was  very  beautiful  and  mysterious. 

The  voyagers  passed  beyond  this  country, 
going  down  a  wide,  flat  river  valley.  On  this 
flat  valley  one  day  they  saw  some  marvelous 
ghost  people,  who  frightened  them  very  much 
at  first.  The  earth  appeared  that  day  to  be  cov- 
ered with  a  dense,  low  cloud,  which  lay  very 
close  upon  the  ground,  and  all  standing  things 
seemed  to  be  oddly  distorted  and  misshapen. 
The  young  Dakotas  had  seen  these  effects  of 
the  medicine  of  strange  and  freakish  spirits 
before,  and  they  knew  that  no  one,  who  did  not 
foolishly  follow  some  beckoning  ghost  into  dan- 
ger, was  ever  harmed  by  these  queer  people. 

But  on  this  occasion,  at  midday,  there   sud- 

295 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

denly  loomed  out  of  the  flat  low  fog  some 
strange  and  monstrously  distorted  figures,  giant 
ghosts  who  stood  against  the  sky  and  assumed 
such  threatening  proportions  that  it  seemed  they 
might,  if  they  should  choose,  drive  off  or  devour 
all  creatures  on  the  earth. 

Zintkala  saw  these  mysterious  and  fearful 
ones  first,  and  cried  out  in  alarm.  "O  brother," 
she  quavered,  "do  look — do  look!  We  are  surely 
lost!" 

She  pointed  directly  toward  the  river,  which 
ran,  at  quite  a  distance,  upon  their  right  but 
which  had  been  swallowed  in  the  cloud.  Etapa 
turned  and  indeed  beheld  a  strange  sight.  Out 
of  that  low  wavering  mist,  which  obscured  the 
earth,  shifting  colossal  figures  were  reaching 
toward  the  sky.  Some  very  tall  shadow  people 
seemed  to  be  lifting  others  upon  their  heads  or 
shoulders,  and  these  climbing  ones  were  trying 
to  touch  the  cloud  spaces. 

The  boy  dropped  his  bow  and  gun  and  gazed 
in  awed  amazement.  It  did  not  occur  to  either 
of  the  children  to  run,  for  only  very  silly  persons 
would  expect  to  escape  if  these  giant  people 
should  choose  to  come  after  them.  So  the  two 
stood  trembling,  astonished,  and  scared.  While 
they  stared,  the  immensely  tall  ghosts  moved  in 
a  very  mysterious  manner.  They  shifted  posi- 
tions, grew  larger  or  smaller,  and  their  misty 
bodies  moved  to  and  fro  in  a  peculiar  fashion. 

296 


THE    BUFFALO    GHOST    WOMEN 

As  the  frightened  boy  watched,  with  open 
mouth,  a  sudden  conviction,  born  of  recollection, 
seized  upon  him. 

"Ho,  older  sister,"  he  announced,  "these  are 
indeed  the  buffalo  women  of  whom  my  grand- 
father has  told  me.  I  do  not  think  that  they 
intend  to  harm  anyone.  They  appear  to  be 
dancing  the  grass  dance." 

"Is  it  indeed  so?"  asked  Zintkala,  with  a 
great  burden  lifting  from  her  palpitating  heart. 
"I  think  truly,  younger  brother,  now  you  have 
spoken  of  it,  that  those  very  large  ones  are 
surely  dancing.  Heretofore  I  have  seen  no 
people  like  them  anywhere." 

"It  does  not  appear  that  they  come  toward  us," 
assured  the  boy,  "therefore  they  certainly  are 
those  people  whom  I  have  mentioned." 

"It  seems  that  they  already  have  eaten  the 
trees  which  we  saw  in  that  place,"  suggested  the 
sister,  yet  feeling  much  uneasiness. 

"I  think  also  that  they  have  eaten  them," 
assented  the  boy,  "but  these  people  usually  avoid 
coming  near  to  Indians.  They  flee  away  and 
take  the  buffaloes  with  them." 

"Younger  brother,  there  is  a  hill  on  this  other 
side;  therefore  let  us  hasten  thither  to  watch 
these  buffalo  women  dance  their  dance/'  urged 
Zintkala. 

Here  and  there  upon  the  flat  valley  arose  lone 
knobs  or  small  buttes,  affording  excellent  view 

297 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

points  from  which  to  overlook  a  great  scope  of 
country. 

"We  will  indeed  go  to  that  hill,"  said 
Etapa.  They  picked  up  their  effects  and  walked 
rather  hurriedly  toward  the  butte.  As  they 
looked  behind  now  and  then  their  lingering  fears 
began  to  fade.  The  huge  bobbing  ghosts  were  at 
least  not  following.  When  they  finally  reached 
the  top  of  the  lone  hill  a  fresh  surprise  awaited 
them.  The  mysterious  tall  people  had  vanished, 
and  in  their  places  stood  a  thin  fringe  of  cotton- 
woods,  their  tops  showing  quite  clearly  above 
the  shimmering  fog  of  radiation.  These  were 
the  trees  they  had  supposed  the  buffalo  women 
had  eaten. 

The  little  voyagers  were  much  amazed  and 
mystified.  They  wished  to  look  further  into  this 
strange  business  and  to  talk  about  it,  and  so 
they  seated  themselves  cross-legged  upon  the 
knob. 

"Whither  do  you  think  those  people  have 
gone,  brother?"  asked  Zintkala,  her  round  face 
filled  with  wonder. 

"It  is  very  warm,"  suggested  Etapa,  "and  per- 
haps the  buffalo  women  are  swimming  in  the 
river." 

This  seemed  not  unlikely,  and  so  the  two,  all 
eyes,  sat  for  a  while  in  silence,  expecting  to 
see  those  colossal  ghosts  arise  from  their  bath- 
ing. After  a  sufficient  time,  however,  they  were 

298 


THE    BUFFALO    GHOST    WOMEN 

forced  to  conclude  that  the  buffalo  women 
had  vanished  as  mysteriously  as  they  had  ap- 
peared. 

"They  have  seen  us  and  thus  have  gone  to 
give  warning  to  their  grandchildren,  the  buffa- 
loes," asserted  Etapa  with  conviction. 

"Nakaes,  younger  brother,  it  may  indeed  be 
as  you  say,"  admitted  Zintkala.  "Nevertheless 
I  see  other  people  yonder  who,  it  appears,  are 
very  strange  also." 

She  was  looking  down  the  valley  in  the  direc- 
tion they  had  been  traveling,  and  Etapa' s  eyes, 
following  hers,  alighted  upon  some  queer 
figures.  A  number  of  misty  creatures,  whose 
legs  seemed  to  have  been  cut  off  near  to  their 
bodies,  were  moving  across  the  clouded  land. 
These  ghost  animals  were  very  large  in  appear- 
ance, but  their  necks  were  no  more  than  the  size 
of  one's  finger,  and  their  heads  were  far  removed 
from  their  bodies.  Some  of  them  had  queerly 
elongated  horns,  but  all — and  there  were  a 
dozen  or  more — were  ambling  toward  distant 
hills  in  a  curiously  familiar  fashion. 

"Ho,  1  know  those  people!"  said  Etapa,  after 
careful  study  of  the  legless  figures.  "They  are 
the  ghost  antelope.  Heretofore  I  have  seen 
these,  and  they  are  very  harmless,  wishing 
indeed  to  meet  no  one." 

"Younger  brother,  do  you  not  think  we  may 
have  come  into  the  Sacred  Country?"  asked  Zint- 

299 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

kala  with  anxiety.  "Therefore  these  strange 
ones  may  wish  us  to  go  away  very  quickly." 

"It  may  indeed  be  that  you  speak  truly,"  said 
the  boy,  struck  with  the  thought.  "Neverthe- 
less those  large  ones  whom  we  saw  yonder  were 
certainly  the  buffalo  ghost  women,  and  I  have 
not  heard  that  these  live  in  the  black  pine 
country." 

"Do  tell  me  about  the  buffalo  women,"  urged 
Zintkala.  "Hitherto  I  have  heard  nothing  of 
these  people." 

"My  grandfather  only  knows  about  them,"  said 
Etapa.  "He  only  of  all  the  Oglalas  has  seen 
these  buffalo  women,  who  are  indeed  grand- 
mothers of  the  different  tribes  of  buffaloes. 

"My  grandfather  saw  these  people  many  win- 
ters ago,  when  he  was  a  young  man.  The  Oglalas 
were  living  in  a  distant  country,  and  beyond 
their  village,  there  was  a  very  big  wide  river 
where  the  buffaloes  crossed,  going  two  ways. 
The  Oglalas  took  a  great  many  robes  and  much 
meat  each  year,  for  the  buffaloes  had  always 
come  to  that  country  during  the  dead  grass 
moons.  Nevertheless  one  year  pte  stayed  away; 
only  three  old  bulls  came  to  that  country.  When 
the  Oglalas  went  out  to  hunt  they  found  only 
these  old  bulls. 

"They  came  to  the  river  and  the  hunters  went 
away  in  two  parties,  some  going  up  and  some 
going  down  the  large  river.  My  grandfather 

300 


THE    BUFFALO    GHOST    WOMEN 

was  of  those  who  went  up  the  river.  These 
traveled  very  far  in  search  of  the  buffaloes. 
They  did  not  find  them.  They  only  found  very 
mysterious  paths.  These  trails  were  such  as  to 
make  the  Oglalas  marvel  indeed.  A  cloud  lay 
on  the  earth,  and  the  trails  of  the  buffaloes  went 
through  this  cloud.  Their  feet  did  not  touch  the 
ground.  This  was  very  mysterious.  The  Oglala 
hunters  could  not  understand  this  matter. 

'  'Come/  said  they,  'let  us  go  homeward  lest 
an  evil  befall  some  of  our  party.'  They  were 
afraid  to  stay  in  that  country,  for  they  said,  'In 
the  night  what  is  to  prevent  these  spirit  buffaloes 
from  running  off  our  ponies?  Then  surely  the 
Susuni  (Shoshonies)  will  come  and  take  us!' 

"But  my  grandfather  would  not  go  back.  He 
said,  'Ho,  ye  Dakotas,  I  have  seen  these  things 
before,  and  no  harm  came.  Do  as  you  will,  but 
I  will  go  on  to  find  the  buffaloes.' 

"So  my  grandfather  went  on  to  find  the  buffa- 
loes. Having  a  great  medicine  he  did  not  fear 
to  go  on.  He  went  a  long  way  up  the  large 
river.  He  was  going,  thus  traveling  upon  the 
flat  land,  and  again  a  cloud  descended  upon  the 
earth,  lying  very  low  and  resting  on  the  grass. 

"My  grandfather  indeed  saw  very  strange 
things.  He  saw  trees  dancing.  They  were 
dancing  in  the  midst  of  the  cloud.  Doubtless 
they  prayed  to  this  cloud  that  they  might  not  be 
cut  off  from  the  earth.  Also  a  ghost  elk  ap- 

301 


TWO     WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

peared,  walking  in  this  cloud.  My  grandfather 
prayed  very  earnestly  to  this  large  bull's  ghost. 
He  desired  to  know  where  the  buffaloes  were. 

"Very  soon  thereafter  he  saw  the  buffaloes. 
There  were  many  of  them  on  some  high  hills. 
My  grandfather's  horse  was  tired,  nevertheless 
he  rode  swiftly  after  the  buffaloes,  desiring 
greatly  to  secure  some  meat. 

"The  buffaloes  ran  down  off  the  hills.  They 
were  going  in  the  cloud,  which  was  lying  on  the 
grass.  Then  my  grandfather  saw  very  mysteri- 
ous things.  '  The  buffaloes  were  running  in  this 
cloud  and  some  very  tall  women  appeared  driv- 
ing them  off  in  a  hurry.  These  women  were 
taller  than  the  trees,  and  my  grandfather  knew 
that  they  were  the  buffalo  ghost  women.  They 
were  truly  the  buffaloes'  grandmothers.  They 
wished  to  keep  the  hunters  from  shooting  their 
grandchildren,  therefore  they  chased  them 
swiftly  out  of  that  country.  They  caused  a  cloud 
to  cover  their  grandchildren,  so  that  the  buffaloes 
disappeared.  My  grandfather  did  not  see  them 
again.  That  winter  the  Oglalas  suffered  greatly 
for  lack  of  meat." 

"Truly  those  people  are  very  mysterious," 
murmured  Zintkala. 

She  felt  no  little  relief,  however,  in  the  assur- 
ance that  the  buffalo  women  only  desired  to 
protect  their  grandchildren,  and  were  not  likely 
to  chase  and  devour  two  small  Dakotas. 

302 


CHAPTER   XXIX 
THE  BUFFALOES— A  VOYAGE  BY  BULL  BOAT 

The  trail  of  the  Oglalas  led  through  a  land  of 
plenty.  Elk,  deer  and  antelope  were  seen  in 
large  numbers  every  day.  Of  marmots,  bush 
rabbits  and  sage  hens  there  was  never  lack  in 
the  warm  seasons.  On  this  trail  the  little  voya- 
gers were  never  in  want  of  meat. 

After  leaving  the  flat  valley  they  crossed  a 
high  rough  country  and  came  to  a  stream  which 
ran  beside  a  low  range  of  mountains.  Among 
the  coulees  of  the  foot  hills  they  now  found 
plums  ripening  in  great  abundance.  Here  for  a 
number  of  days — probably  during  the  last  weeks 
of  August — they  lingered,  feasting  continuously. 
It  now  appeared  that,  as  the  buffalo  killing  sea- 
son had  approached,  the  Oglalas  would,  if 
indeed  they  were  coming  back  that  way,  soon 
return  upon  their  trail.  If  they  were  to  return 
by  some  other  route  it  would  be  impossible  for 
people  on  foot  to  overtake  them. 

The  voyagers  did  not  reason  this  out  together, 
but  it  was  the  unspoken  thought  in  their  minds. 
To  tell  the  truth  each  was  fearful  of  further 
advance  into  an  unknown  country  upon  an  aging 
trail.  So  they  spoke  together  quite  often  about 
the  return  of  their  people,  saying  that  they  must 

303 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

look  for  them  to  appear  during  the  next  moon. 
A  cold  rain  fell  for  several  days,  and  drove 
them  to  the  rock  covert  of  a  coulee.  In  this 
coulee,  after  the  rains,  they  discovered  a  lair  of 
the  big  yellow  cats;  and  as  these  great  flesh  eat- 
ers were  very  mysterious  in  their  actions  the  wan- 
dering ones  moved  on  again,  going  slowly  down 
the  stream.  The  now  dim  trail  of  the  Oglalas 
led  directly  along  this  river,  but  so  it  had  fol- 
lowed two  streams  before  and  the  distances 
between  camps  showed  that  the  tribe  had  abated 
nothing  of  its  hurry  to  go  to  some  far  country. 

Thus  the  voyagers  loitered  aimlessly.  Their 
only  cheer  was  found  in  the  abundance  by  which 
they  were  surrounded.  The  numerous  plum 
thickets  of  the  river  ravines  were  red  with 
luscious  fruit.  The  young  of  the  sage  grouse 
were  so  numerous  and  so  tame  that  one  could, 
at  any  time,  kill  a  number  by  knocking  them 
over  with  sticks.  The  cow-men  have  dubbed 
these  unsuspicious  and  apparently  witless  birds 
"fool  hens."  When  quickly  dressed,  after  kill- 
ing, the  meat  of  the  young  is  excellent. 

In  spite  of  disappointments  and  desperate 
uncertainty  the  little  voyagers  grew  plump  and 
vigorous  upon  their  diet  of  fruit  and  birds. 
Yet,  as  the  days  wore  on,  they  became  surfeited 
with  eating  and  the  home  hunger  again  gripped 
their  hearts.  They  feared  to  go  back  to  the 
Smoky  River  even  more  than  they  dreaded  to 

304 


A    VOYAGE     BY     BULL    BOAT 

go  forward.  The  dim  Oglala  trail  still  lay  along 
the  river's  course. 

"Wan,  older  sister,"  said  Etapa,  one  morning, 
"we  must  now  go  quickly  on  to  find  the  Oglalas. 
Because  of  the  war  it  appears  that  they  have 
gone,  and  they  will  stay  all  winter  at  that  place 
where  they  have  arrived.  They  have  surely 
gone  far  down  this  river." 

Zintkala  had  been  thinking  of  this  also,  and 
she  acceded  with  energy  to  the  proposal  to  go 
on  with  more  speed. 

"It  appears  that  we  have  indeed  stayed  too 
long  at  this  place,"  she  said. 

All  that  day  they  traveled  with  expedition 
upon  the  old  trail.  During  the  next  forenoon 
they  passed  beyond  the  low  range  of  mountains 
and  suddenly  found  themselves  among  the  buffa- 
loes. The  trail  had  led  for  some  time  through 
a  narrow  pass  of  the  river  valley  and,  at  a  sharp 
turn,  the  travelers  were  startled  by  a  mob  of 
huge  brown  cattle  which  lunged  down  the  steep 
slope  of  a  near  bluff. 

"The  buffaloes!  The  buffaloes!"  they  shouted 
joyously.  "Now  we  shall  surely  find  the 
Oglalas!" 

Some  big  bulls  ran  off  the  hill  directly  toward 
them.  As  these  lunged  downward  they  bellowed 
and  kicked  up  a  great  dust.  They  were  evidently 
young  bulls  having  a  frolic.  But  they  were  lead- 
ers, and  a  whole  herd  plunged  after  them,  roar- 

305 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

ing  and  leaping  amid  clouds  of  dirt.  They  acted 
so  crazily  that  the  voyagers  became  alarmed. 
They  sped  swiftly  across  the  river — drenching 
themselves  thoroughly — and  ran  out  upon  the 
highlands  beyond.  Fortunately  the  buffaloes 
checked  their  mad  stampede  and  filled  the  chan- 
nel of  the  stream,  jumping  against  and  over  each 
other,  to  get  into  the  water.  The  animals  drank 
eagerly  of  a  current  thick  with  the  mud  of  their 
trampling. 

A  little  way  out  upon  the  highland  stood  a 
sharp  knob  or  butte  of  red  earth.  The  voyagers 
ran  swiftly  and  climbed  this  high  hill.  Upon  its 
cap  they  stood  and  whooped  and  exclaimed  in 
joyous  wonder.  They  had  seen  many  bison 
but  never  such  herds  as  now  greeted  their  eyes. 
The  buffaloes  were  mostly  at  that  moment  to 
west  and  north.  Over  a  great  stretch  of  rough 
plain — as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach — their 
masses  extended.  Brown  patches  upon  the  hills 
and  hill  sides,  dark  moving  lines  on  the  prairies, 
thin  veils  of  dust  hanging  upon  the  far  horizon, 
told  of  bison,  in  countless  herds,  moving  into 
the  river  country.  It  appeared  indeed  that  all 
the  tribes  of  buffaloes  must  have  agreed  to  meet 
at  this  river. 

"Wan  ho,  I  think  that  all  the  Indians  will  have 
to  come  to  this  river  to  hunt  the  buffaloes," 
shouted  Etapa.  "Therefore  there  will  be  much 
fighting  unless  they  make  a  peace." 

306 


A    VOYAGE     BY    BULL    BOAT 

"They  will  not  wish  to  fight,"  said  Zintkala, 
with  conviction.  "They  will  wish  to  take  much 
meat  and  many  robes  for  the  tepees.  I  think 
now,  younger  brother,  that  we  may  travel  safely 
to  find  the  Oglalas.  I  do  not  think  that  any 
Indian  hunters  will  pay  attention." 

This  seemed  so  reasonable,  when  one  came 
to  think  of  it,  that  Etapa  whooped  with  ela- 
tion. 

"Whi,  Tanke!"  he  cried,  "they  will  see  nothing 
but  these  buffaloes.  I  also  will  shoot  some  of 
those  very  large  bulls.  It  is  so.  If  any  come  up 
here  I  will  make  big  holes  in  their  skins.  I  will 
make  holes  thus  large!" 

And  with  the  ends  of  thumb  and  forefinger 
touching  he  showed  the  sister  what  perforations 
the  great  bulls  might  expect.  He  flourished  his 
buffalo  gun  and  pranced  about  excitedly,  point- 
ing the  weapon  at  one  or  another  of  the  nearer 
herds.  For  the  time  they  quite  forgot  that  the 
trampling  of  such  numbers  must  blot  out  the  trail 
of  the  Oglalas.  Indeed  it  would  seem  that  no 
one  could  have  thought  of  anything  but  the 
vast  panorama  of  animal  life. 

The  armies  of  Xerxes  were  doubtless  of  insig- 
nificant numbers  as  compared  to  the  far-reaching 
multitudes  which  spread  upon  the  plains  under 
the  eyes  of  these  wandering  children.  From  the 
top  of  the  red  butte  they  could  command  a  vast 
scope  of  rough  lands  and  everywhere  soon, 

307 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

except  to  southward,  were  to  be  seen  the  mighty 
increasing  throngs  of  the  bison. 

"All  the  buffaloes  are  coming!"  shouted  Etapa. 
"All  the  buffaloes  are  coming!"  repeated  Zintkala. 

Upon  their  height  the  wet  and  ragged  waifs, 
unheeding  the  packs  upon  their  shoulders,  stood 
for  hours,  with  eyes  and  ears  for  nothing  but  the 
march  of  innumerable  herds.  Like  a  vast  tidal 
wave  the  throngs  of  brown  humps  spread  until 
only  a  narrow  strip  of  unoccupied  country  lay, 
in  a  fading  gray  belt,  to  southward.  Still  the 
herds  came  on  from  north  and  west  in  undi- 
minished  numbers.  They  filled  the  valley  of 
the  stream,  plunged  down  its  steeps  in  roaring, 
bawling  mobs  and  converted  the  river's  current 
to  a  flow  of  mud  in  which  thousands  wallowed  in 
huge  enjoyment. 

The  Sioux  children  were  filled  with  strange 
and  thrilling  emotions.  Their  faces  were  as  the 
faces  of  those  who  stand  above  armies.  They 
were  no  longer  alone.  The  world  was  suddenly 
peopled  with  such  mighty  and  crowding  hosts  as 
no  hunter's  tale  had  enabled  them  to  imagine. 

"All  the  buffaloes  are  coming,"  they  repeated 
again  and  again.  A  breeze  which  had  been 
blowing  abated,  and  a  fine  dust  arose,  veiled  the 
sky  and  hung  upon  the  horizon.  Into  this 
haze  the  sun  descended  and  became  a  vast  ball 
of  blood  red  fire. 

The  voyagers,   at  last  tired  of  standing,   sat 

308 


A    VOYAGE     BY     BULL     BOAT 

upon  the  butte.  The  buffaloes  did  not  attempt 
to  climb  the  steep  cap  of  its  knob,  but  nowhere 
else  in  all  the  world — save  upon  such  high  points 
— did  there  seem  room  for  two  biped  travelers. 
It  became  apparent  as  they  watched  the  ap- 
proaching multitudes,  that  the  two  must  spend 
their  night  upon  the  butte.  Presently  the  pangs 
of  hunger  and  thirst  began  to  be  felt  and,  as  the 
red  sun  was  about  to  go  under  the  earth,  Zintkala 
spoke. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  said,  "I  think  you 
should  now  go  down  and  fetch  some  water  and 
some  sticks.  I  have  two  birds  in  my  parfleche. 
See,  there  are  not  now  many  buffaloes  at  that 
place,"  and  she  pointed  to  a  turn  of  the  river 
below. 

"Ho,  I  will  do  as  you  have  said,  for  I  indeed 
can  shoot  with  this  gun,"  said  the  boy.  He  felt 
timid  about  descending  the  butte,  but  wished  to 
appear  brave,  therefore  he  seized  Zintkala's 
basin  and  his  gun  and  ran,  going  in  careful  leaps 
on  account  of  the  cactus,  down  to  the  river.  A 
band  of  buffaloes  which  had  stopped  to  graze 
ran  away  as  he  approached  and,  thus  encour- 
aged, the  boy  lingered  to  dip  the  clearer  water 
and  to  gather  a  good  bundle  of  dry  fagots.  He 
returned  in  buoyant  spirits  and  assured  his  sister 
that  all  the  buffaloes  were  very  much  afraid  of 
a  hunter,  and  especially  of  one  who  carried  a 
buffalo  gun. 

309 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

So  upon  the  red  butte,  which  glowed  in  a  ruby 
sunset  like  a  huge  and  dying  ember,  and  in  the 
midst  of  marching  hosts,  the  voyagers  made  a 
tiny  blaze  of  willow  sticks  and  ate  much  meat. 
As  long  as  the  light  lasted,  however,  their  eyes 
were  but  little  turned  from  the  throngs  of 
buffalo  people.  As  they  ate  and  gazed,  Zint- 
kala  was  struck  with  an  alarming  thought. 

"Younger  brother,"  she  asked  with  anxiety, 
"may  it  not  be  that  those  buffalo  women  are 
driving  their  people  far,  far  away  from  the 
Oglalas?" 

"Yuh-huh,Tanke!"  cried  the  lad  in  amazement, 
"those  old  women  cannot  drive  their  grandchil- 
dren off  until  they  have  made  a  cloud  to  lie  on 
the  earth.  My  grandfather  said  thus." 

The  round  face  of  the  girl  lost  its  anxious 
curves  and  she  finished  her  meal  in  content. 
She  was  very  sure  that  the  Oglalas  would  be 
found  in  this  buffalo  country. 

As  darkness  came  on  the  voyagers,  wrapped 
in  their  blankets,  fell  asleep  to  the  roar  and 
murmur  of  trampling  herds. 

In  the  morning  there  were  many  buffaloes 
grazing  upon  the  plains  and  hill  slopes  as  far  up 
and  down  the  river  as  the  eye  could  reach,  but 
the  vast  armies  of  the  day  before  were  scattered, 
leaving  again  the  calm  and  peaceful  plains. 

The  voyagers  rejoiced  greatly  for,  they  said, 
"Now  indeed,  if  the  Oglalas  are  not  already  upon 

310 


A    VOYAGE    BY     BULL     BOAT 

this  river,  they  will  come  to  hunt  the  buffaloes — 
so  we  shall  surely  find  them." 

They  ate  a  hurried  breakfast  and,  at  sunrise, 
again  followed  the  river  to  northward.  They 
did  not  try  to  keep  to  the  Oglala  trail,  for  the 
rains  and  the  armies  of  buffaloes  had  nearly 
everywhere  obliterated  all  trace  of  it.  They  kept 
rather  to  the  winding  river's  course,  looking  at 
every  turn  to  see  the  tepees  of  their  people  or 
to  meet  with  Oglala  hunters  out  in  chase  of  the 
bison.  They  ran — where  they  had  not  to  avoid 
cactus — much  of  the  time,  shouting  now  and 
then  to  frighten  off  big  bulls  which  grazed  in 
their  front.  Sometimes  the  old  leaders  of  a  band 
were  saucy  and  would  stand,  with  shaggy  fronts 
reared,  pawing  up  dust  and  snorting  defiance 
at  the  small  bipeds,  and  then  these  would  dodge 
behind  the  river's  bank,  wade  the  stream  and 
follow  on  upon  the  other  side. 

Once  they  came  upon  two  bulls  circling  about 
each  other,  each  roaring  a  challenge.  They 
stopped  to  watch  and  presently  these  angry  ones 
came  together  with  a  mighty  bump  and  their 
horns  clicked  like  the  rattle  of  bones  at  a  medi- 
cine dance.  With  swollen  muscles  and  shrunken 
flanks  they  heaved  and  tugged,  ripping  the  sod 
with  their  hoofs.  Then,  in  sheer  impatience  at 
useless  expense  of  energy,  they  parted  and  again 
sparred  for  advantage.  Again  they  bounced 
together  and  their  horns  cracked  and  they 

311 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

weaved  to  and  fro  in  frantic  buckings.  One,  the 
heavier,  seemed  now  to  gain  an  advantage,  and 
pushed  his  antagonist  slowly  backward,  but, 
when  the  latter  broke  away  suddenly,  he  did  not 
chase  him. 

Again  the  combatants  circled  and  the  weightier 
bull  roared  and  threatened  quite  as  though 
assured  of  victory.  His  confidence  was  vain. 
As  he  pawed  and  bawled  he  exposed  an  incau- 
tious flank  and,  like  a  stroke  of  lightning,  the 
lithe  antagonist  caught  him  amidribs.  He  was 
bowled  over  by  the  shock  and,  in  a  twinkling, 
his  entrails  were  ripped  from  his  body  and  wound 
upon  the  victor's  horns. 

The  Sioux  children  looked  upon  this  bull  as  a 
great  brave — an  expert  and  valiant  fighter — and 
they  would  gladly  have  addressed  him  paying 
their  compliments,  but  prudence  forbade  and 
they  dropped  behind  the  river's  bank  and  passed 
on  out  of  sight. 

Now  and  then  the  voyagers  climbed  a  solitary 
height  to  take  observations  and  everywhere  they 
saw  the  bunches  of  brown  cattle,  but  no  sign  of 
human  presence.  Toward  noon  the  herds  began 
to  come  to  the  river  for  water,  and  the  children 
several  times  ran  narrow  races  before  bands 
stampeding  off  the  bluffs.  The  buffaloes  seemed 
possessed  of  a  craze  to  leap,  roaring  and  bounc- 
ing, off  the  river  hills. 

At    something    after    midday    the    voyagers 

312 


A     VOYAGE     BY     BULL     BOAT 

stopped  to  cook  some  young  sage  grouse,  for 
they  were  ravenously  hungry  after  so  much 
running.  They  made  their  noon  camp  upon  a 
high  bank,  where  there  were  plenty  of  dry  wil- 
lows. They  had  nearly  finished  eating  when 
they  heard  the  muffled  thunder  of  hoofs  which 
told  of  another  stampede. 

They  leaped  to  their  feet  to  see  presently  a 
wide  front  of  heaving  humps  forge,  in  a  cloud 
of  dust,  over  the  hills  to  westward.  Like  an 
avalanche  this  mass  of  animals  rolled  over  and 
down  upon  the  river  flats.  They  were  running 
as  such  great  herds  run  when  the  hunters  are 
upon  their  heels  and  not  as  creatures  at  play. 

The  voyagers  looked  wildly  about  them  for 
some  place  of  refuge.  There  were  some  trees 
down  the  river,  but  these  were  too  far  away. 
The  buffaloes  were  almost  upon  them  and,  in 
sheer  affright,  they  seized  their  belongings,  ran 
into  the  river  and  took  refuge  under  an  over- 
hanging bank,  fringed  with  willows. 

Almost  instantly  the  thundering  rout  rolled 
over  their  heads.  Buffaloes,  plunging  after  and 
upon  each  other,  rained  into  the  river's  channel 
throwing  water  and  mud  upon  the  hiders,  who 
were  half-choked  in  the  dust  which  fell.  The 
edges  of  the  bank  above  their  heads  caved  and 
huge  chunks  of  earth  fell  upon  them.  They 
cowered  in  this  ruck  and  confusion,  hiding 
their  faces  against  the  bank. 

313 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Doubtless  the  network  of  willow  roots  above 
their  heads  alone  saved  them  from  destruction, 
and  the  blind  heaving  mass  passed  over  and 
around,  leaving  them  uninjured. 

They  were  muddy,  bedraggled  and  sorry  look- 
ing waifs  who  emerged  from  the  debris  of  the 
caving  bank.  But  their  half-blinded  eyes  fell 
upon  creatures  in  yet  more  piteous  plight.  A 
number  of  buffaloes  had  been  trampled  to  death 
in  the  stream,  and  still  others,  mortally  injured, 
struggled  to  keep  their  noses  above  water.  One 
large  bull,  with  a  broken  shoulder,  was  trying  to 
leap  upon  the  low  bank  opposite.  He  gave  it  up 
presently  and  stood  sullenly  upon  a  dry  bar  with 
horns  pushed  into  the  earth  in  his  front. 

It  seemed  that  the  hunters  must  have  been 
after  these  buffaloes,  but  the  voyagers  neither 
heard  nor  saw  any  horsemen,  therefore  pres- 
ently they  went  above  where  the  stampede  had 
passed  and  washed  their  clothes  and  bodies  clear 
of  mud.  The  gun  of  Iron  Soldier  had  been 
wetted,  but  Etapa  wiped  it  dry  with  the  inner 
folds  of  his  blanket  and  put  a  fresh  cap  upon  the 
tube. 

Hitherto  they  had  scarcely  spoken,  but  had 
taken  account  of  the  dead  and  living  buffaloes, 
and  performed  their  ablutions  in  a  dazed  and 
mechanical  fashion.  But  now  the  boy  awoke  to 
animation. 

"Hoye,  Tanke,"  he  said,  "there  is  much  meat  in 

314 


A    VOYAGE     BY     BULL    BOAT 

the  river,  but  we  can  not  easily  get  it.  I  will 
now  shoot  that  big  bull.  I  do  not  think  any 
Indians  are  at  this  river  now." 

"Nakaes !  younger  brother,  do  so  quickly." 
cried  the  girl.  "Shoot  tatankaso  that  he  bleeds, 
for  then  the  meat  is  best.  It  appears  at  any 
rate,"  she  added,  "that  we  must  camp  at  this 
place  to  rub  our  clothes.  I  will  also  cook  much 
good  meat." 

Approaching  the  bull  carefully  the  lad  gave  it 
a  shot  behind  the  shoulders  and  ran  away.  The 
animal  fell  upon  the  bar  and  struggled,  bleeding 
freely. 

While  the  pair  stood  upon  the  bank  waiting 
for  the  bull  to  die,  two  magpies  alighted  upon 
some  willows  near  at  hand  and  talked  very 
strangely.  These  birds  appeared  to  be  speaking 
to  them,  Zintkala  and  Etapa,  and  the  young 
Sioux  watched  and  listened  intently  while  these 
noisy  ones  flitted  from  willow  to  sage  bush  and 
from  bush  to  bank  and  so  passed  clear  around 
where  they  stood. 

After  the  strange  birds  had  done  this,  both 
alighted  upon  the  bull,  which  had  ceased  to 
breathe.  Sitting  upon  the  dead  buffalo  they 
again  called  to  the  boy  and  girl  and  acted  very 
mysteriously.  Then,  while  the  two  looked  and 
listened  wonderingly,  the  magpies  flew  away 
down  the  stream. 

These  birds  were  known  to  be  friendly  toward 

315 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

all  Dakotas.  They  often  conveyed  mysterious 
information  to  hunters  and  to  people  on  the 
trail  and,  as  the  pair  disappeared,  a  light  broke 
in  upon  Zintkala's  puzzled  brain. 

"Wan,  younger  brother,"  she  cried  joyously, 
"these  birds  have  indeed  told  us  to  make  a  bull 
boat  of  this  bull's  skin  and  the  willows  and  to  go 
thus  to  find  the  Oglalas!" 

"It  is  so!  It  is  so!"  shouted  the  lad,  dancing 
with  excitement.  "Now  we  shall  surely  arrive 
at  that  place  where  they  are,  very  quickly.  I 
indeed  know  how  to  make  these  bull  boats." 

Instantly  the  two  were  alive  with  energy. 
They  attacked  the  carcass  of  the  bull  with  their 
knives  which  they  had  kept  sharpened  by 
whetting  often  upon  pieces  of  sandstone. 

Etapa,  though  less  expert  than  his  sister,  gave 
directions,  and  cautioned  frequently,  "Do  not 
cut  the  skin,  Tanke;  it  is  to  make  a  bull  boat." 

They  had  flayed  one  whole  side  of  the  carcass 
before  the  necessity  and  the  difficulty  of  moving 
its  huge  weight  occurred  to  them.  By  good 
luck,  however,  the  bull  had  fallen  at  a  point 
where  its  back  rested  upon  an  incline  of  the  bar, 
and,  by  a  fierce  tug  at  the  feet  with  the  legs  for 
leverage,  they  were  able  to  roll  it  more  than  half 
way  over,  and  so  to  take  the  immense  pelt  whole. 
As  they  succeeded  finally  without  making  a  cut 
in  the  body  of  the  skin  they  were  filled  with 
elation. 

316 


A    VOYAGE     BY     BULL    BOAT 

They  now  made  a  fire  and  ate  broiled  steak 
and  sweet  back  fat  until  their  stomachs  were 
well  rounded.  For  more  than  a  year  they  had 
not  tasted  buffalo  meat,  and  it  was  good — good. 

For  two  days  they  camped,  feasting,  dressing 
the  buffalo's  skin  and  making  a  frame-work  of 
stout  willows  for  their  bull  boat.  On  the  third 
morning  their  tub-like  craft  was  launched. 

Recent  rains  upon  the  mountains  had  swollen 
the  stream  until  its  mid  current  ran  waist  deep 
and  they  were  easily  able  to  keep  afloat  save, 
here  and  there,  where  they  were  obliged  to 
wade  over  rapid  shallows.  A  light  pole  served 
in  place  of  a  paddle  and  they  were  able  to 
make  as  good,  and  much  less  tiresome,  progress 
than  by  following  the  river's  windings  as  they 
had  done  afoot. 

For  five  suns  they  voyaged  without  much 
adventure,  making  perhaps  one  hundred  miles 
as  the  crow  flies.  The  buffaloes  were  plentiful, 
but  not  so  numerous  as  they  had  been.  Now 
and  then  these  animals,  coyotes,  and  other  four- 
foots  appeared  upon  the  river's  bank  and  scur- 
ried away  at  their  approach.  Once  they  caught 
mato  osansan  at  his  bathing.  The  grizzly  reared 
its  great  hulk  and  floundered  in  affright,  scram- 
bling up  the  nearest  bank,  but  turned  about  to 
look  down  upon  the  strange  craft  whirling  by. 

Still  they  had  but  once  seen — at  an  old  river 
camp — signs  of  the  Oglalas,  although  they  had 

317 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

frequently  climbed  the  river's  banks  to  look. 
Several  times,  however,  the  magpies  had  talked 
to  them  and  flown  on  down  the  stream.  The 
birds  thus  evidently  beckoned  them  on  to  find 
the  Oglalas. 

The  face  of  the  country  had  changed,  and  the 
voyagers  found  themselves  in  a  strange  land,  a 
country  of  tall  buttes  and  gaping  canons,  of 
wonderful  high  rocks  of  many  colors,  of  colos- 
sal formations  which  appeared  to  be  immense 
tepees  of  earth  and  stone.  The  stream  had  in- 
creased in  volume  but,  with  a  courage  not  less 
than  sublime,  they  steered  their  bull  boat  over 
rapids  and  into  the  dark  forbidding  shadows  of 
the  canons. 


318 


CHAPTER   XXX 
A    PARADE    FIGHT 

Fire  Cloud's  village  of  Oglalas  together  with 
several  bands  of  Yanktonais  and  Brules  had 
gathered  in  a  semi-military  encampment  in  the 
Bad  Lands.  Hither  they  had  come  because  of 
the  war  cloud  which  had  gathered  over  all  the 
land.  Their  soldiers  had  not  fled  to  this  coun- 
try from  fear,  but  to  gain  a  stronghold  for  their 
women  and  children,  and  where  they  might  fight 
to  advantage  should  the  armies  of  the  blue  coat 
come  against  them. 

Too  well  they  knew  that  a  Sioux  was  a  Sioux 
to  be  killed  or  captured  without  discrimination 
when  the  Great  Father  sent  his  angry  soldiers 
into  their  country,  and  that  to  be  captured  was 
to  suffer — worse  than  death — disease  and  slow 
starvation.  And  here  was  much  good  fighting 
ground;  here  were  many  cunning  hiding  places 
and  covered  lines  of  escape. 

Being  a  large  company  of  many  hundreds,  the 
Sioux  did  not  seek  to  hide  their  village  nor  to 
pitch  their  tepees  within  natural  defences. 
They  depended  rather  upon  their  scouts  to 
inform  of  the  approach  of  enemies,  and  held 
themselves  in  readiness  to  fortify  or  to  break 
camp  and  scatter  upon  short  notice  should  neces- 
sity demand.  So  they  were  camped  along  the 

319 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

river,  where  there  was  wood  and  grass,  upon  an 
open  flat,  surrounded  by  castellated  buttes  and 
the  eroded  heights  and  washouts  of  the  Bad 
Country. 

This  open  plain,  which  extended  for  several 
miles  along  the  stream,  became  the  parade 
ground  and  riding  school  of  their  young  men. 
Here  they  raced  their  ponies  and  practiced  the 
arts  of  war.  Many  posts  of  half-decayed  cotton- 
woods  and  willows  were  set  in  the  earth,  and 
every  day  riders  hurled  themselves  past  these 
lines  of  dummy  men,  shooting  their  arrows  and 
throwing  the  lance.  Some  became  very  expert  in 
"hitting  the  post,"  and  were  commended  by  their 
elders  who  often  looked  on,  enjoying  the  sport. 
The  makers  of  bows  and  arrows,  lances  and 
other  material  of  war,  were  uncommonly  busy 
at  this  season. 

Many  antelope  and  elk  also  were  killed  by  the 
large  parties  of  hunters  who,  on  account  of 
their  numbers,  went  out  fearlessly  to  the  chase. 
The  summer  days  at  this  camp  were  really  gala- 
days  and  the  people  had  not  been  happier  for  a 
long  time.  Early  in  the  dry  grass  moon,  too, 
buffaloes  trailed  in  large  bands,  across  the  Bad 
Lands.  The  Sioux  took  meat  and  robes  until 
their  women  could  no  longer  handle  the  stores. 
They  had  enough  to  furnish  meat  and  clothing 
for  no  one  knew  how  long.  When  they  had 
considered  this  good  fortune  they  said: 

320 


A        PARADE         FIGHT 

"Now  indeed  we  know  that  we  have  done  well 
to  come  to  this  place,  for  the  Waniyan  Tanka 
has  evidently  sent  the  buffaloes  against  a  time  of 
need." 

The  hunters  gave  feasts  to  their  friends  and 
made  many  smoke  offerings.  After  the  hunting 
the  young  men  and  some  of  the  middle-aged 
resumed  the  games,  the  races,  and  sham  battles. 

Some  weeks  before  the  buffalo  killing  a  large 
village  of  river  Crows,  living  in  the  valley  of  the 
Yellowstone,  discovered  this  new  town  of  the 
Sioux.  The  Crows  were  much  alarmed  lest  a 
large  war  party  should  come  against  them.  So 
they  sent  runners  to  the  up-river  Crows  and  to 
their  cousins  among  the  Mountain  People  say- 
ing, "A  very  big  village  of  Sioux  have  arrived 
near  to  us.  Come  quickly  and  help  us  fight 
them,  lest  we  be  destroyed  !" 

These  people,  who  lived  but  a  few  days'  ride 
distant,  immediately  sent  large  war  parties.  So 
many  Indians  gathered  at  the  Crow  village  that 
they  fetched  their  women  and  children,  lest 
these  should  be  surprised  and  scattered.  A  camp 
formed  on  the  Yellowstone  even  larger  than  that 
in  the  Bad  Lands.  The  wise  men  of  these  bands 
held  many  councils  considering  how  best  to 
proceed  against  the  invaders,  and  their  young 
men,  too,  practiced  the  sham  fights  and  vied  with 
each  other  in  feats  of  horsemanship. 

The  allies  sent  out  their  most  cunning  scouts 

321 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

to  spy  upon  the  Sioux,  and  these  reported  great 
preparations  for  war  among  the  enemy.  They 
were  about  to  go  against  the  Sioux  when  the 
buffaloes  came.  After  a  great  killing  and  many 
feasts  the  head  men  said,  "Now  we  must  attack 
those  people  and  destroy  their  town." 

They  again  sent  scouts  to  see  if  the  Sioux 
remained.  Three  of  these  approached  the 
Dakota  town  from  some  heights.  They  were 
mounted  upon  fleet  horses,  and  wished  simply 
to  look  down  upon  the  river  valley  from  some 
secluded  elevation.  They  were  riding  upon  the 
scarp  of  a  bluff  in  a  gorge,  when  they  heard 
voices  of  strangers.  Looking  to  the  opposing 
bluff  they  saw  two  riders,  who  sat  upon  their 
ponies,  making  signals.  The  men  were  Sioux, 
and  the  Crow  scouts  were  fearful  at  first  lest 
themselves  had  fallen  into  a  trap. 

But  their  alarm  was  quickly  disposed  of,  for 
one  of  the  strangers  shouted  at  them  in  a  tongue 
which  they  understood: 

"Ho,  Kangi !  you  indeed  imagine  that  you  are 
very  cunning.  You  are  like  your  relatives,  the 
real  crows,  who  fly  squalling  with  a  loud  noise  so 
that  everyone  sees  them.  If  your  soldiers  are 
not  all  cowards  and  skunks  you  will  come  on  to 
fight  us.  If  you  do  not  come  soon  we  will  send 
some  of  our  old  women  to  beat  your  men  with 
switches." 

This  speech,  flung  at  them  from  across  a  deep 

322 


A        PARADE         FIGHT 

canon  and  beyond  arrow  range,  exasperated  the 
Crow  scouts  greatly.  They  shouted  their  war 
cry  and  retorted  with  bitter  taunts. 

"You  Dakotas  will  see  us  soon  enough!"  cried 
one  at  length.  "You  had  better  send  your  women 
and  children  and  your  herds  home  quickly. 
Even  then,  after  we  have  given  your  bodies  to  the 
coyotes,  we  will  follow  and  take  your  property." 

The  answer  of  the  Sioux  to  this  harangue  was 
certainly  irritating.  These  scouts  simply  sat 
on  their  ponies  cawing  "haw!  haw!  haw!"  and 
doubled  themselves  with  laughter. 

The  Crows  returned  to  the  Yellowstone  and 
reported  the  impossibility  of  taking  the  Sioux 
by  surprise.  They  also  told  faithfully  of  the 
challenge  of  the  Sioux  scouts  and,  learning  of 
this,  the  young  men  of  the  allies  were  eager  to 
go  against  the  Dakotas,  and  their  elders  said,  "If 
these  Sioux  think  we  are  afraid,  all  the  Dakotas 
will  come  to  take  our  country  and  thus  they  will 
give  us  much  trouble.  Come,  let  us  adventure 
our  bodies  against  them!" 

The  next  day  many  hundreds  of  men  in  full 
war  dress  set  out  for  the  Bad  Lands.  As  this 
large  war  party  approached  their  stronghold  its 
movements  were  noted  and  reported  by  the 
Sioux  spies. 

At  their  encampment  the  tepees  were  pitched 
together  in  compact  rows  and  this  solid  village 
was  surrounded,  at  a  safe  distance,  by  a  row  of 

323 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

willow  posts  with  stout  poles  laid  against  them 
and  attached  with  rawhide  ropes.  Thus  they 
raised  an  effective  barricade  against  charging 
horsemen.  They  also  built  large  corrals  to  pro- 
tect their  herds  from  a  night  stampede.  The 
posts  and  poles  for  this  work  they  had  cut  at 
their  leisure  during  the  summer. 

When  the  Crow  spies  reported  this  fortified 
village  to  their  war  leaders  and  partisans  some 
said,  "We  cannot  take  this  Sioux  town,  therefore 
let  us  make  a  stronghold  from  which  we  may 
harass  them." 

This  counsel  was  agreed  upon  and  the  Crows 
and  Mountain  People  camped  upon  an  easily 
defended  elevation  where  there  was  water  and 
feed  for  their  horses.  This  war  camp  was  made 
above  the  Sioux  town  overlooking  the  river 
flats,  and  where  the  party  could  keep  open  com- 
munication with  their  people  on  the  Yellowstone. 

After  a  day  or  two  of  expectant  waiting  the 
Sioux,  seeing  the  enemy  hesitate  to  attack,  went 
out  as  before  and  resumed  their  games  and 
shooting  at  the  post.  Only  now  they  donned 
their  war  shirts  and  feathered  bonnets. 

This  open  contempt  nettled  the  allies  and 
they,  too,  sent  their  young  men  down,  bedecked 
and  painted,  to  display  themselves  in  the  valley 
above  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream.  A 
party  of  Sioux  approached  some  of  these  within 
hailing  distance  and  signaled  across  the  river. 

324 


A        PARADE         FIGHT 

"Koo-ee,  Kangi!"  they  shouted.  "Come 
down  on  this  plain  and  fight  us.  Let  us  fight  in 
the  large  circles  that  none  may  take  advantage. 
We  shall  see  who  are  the  best  soldiers!" 

This  challenge  t<j  a  fair  fight  in  open  field, 
pleased  the  Crow  and  Mountain  soldiers,  in  fact 
fired  them  into  enthusiasm. 

"Good — good!"  cried  their  leader  after  they 
had  digested  the  matter.  "We  will  surely  ven- 
ture our  bodies  in  battle.  Come  forth  from 
your  willow  pen  to-morrow  and  we  will  go 
against  you.  See  that  you  do  not  hide  in  your 
corrals!" 

True  to  their  promises  the  allies  rode  down 
from  their  heights  in  the  morning  and  forded 
the  stream  to  a  wide  open  ground.  When  they 
saw  these  squads  of  horsemen  really  coming  off 
the  bluffs  a  great  shout  ran  through  the  Sioux 
town.  They  had  scarcely  credited  the  boast  of 
the  Crows  whom,  on  the  whole,  they  had  bested 
in  years  of  predatory  fighting.  The  big  village 
was  thrown  into  an  uproar  as  men  ran  for  their 
horses  or  rushed  into  the  tepee  to  don  paints 
and  war  dress.  In  an  incredibly  brief  space  of 
time  crowds  of  pony  riders,  as  gay  and  fantastic 
in  appearance  as  masqueraders  at  Mardi  Gras, 
went  clattering  out  upon  the  river  flat.  They 
were  armed  mostly  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  but 
many  carried  lances  decked  with  streamers  of 
vivid  colors. 

325 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Though  the  writer  has  been  eye-witness  to 
such  scenic  display  of  wild  riders  as  followed, 
no  pen  is  adequate  to  description.  These 
hostile  war  parties  were  not  gathered  from 
agency  imprisoned  creatures  of  broken  and 
dependent  spirit.  They  had  never  known  the 
rule  of  an  autocrat  who  might — or  who  might 
not — issue  rations  to  their  starving  families  as 
one  throws  bread  to  a  dog. 

They  rode  to  battle  as  athletes  meet  upon  the 
arena,  hardy  and  daring  in  spirit  and  of  iron 
endurance  of  body  and  limb.  The  foremost 
troops  of  the  opposing  bodies  approached  each 
other  singing  in  loud  minor  strains  to  the  beat 
of  drums  and  clack  of  medicine  rattles. 

At  a  point  perhaps  two  miles  from  the  Sioux 
town  the  fighting  began.  There  was  no  plan  of 
battle  to  be  noted.  Groups  and  squads  of  horse- 
men, scattered  hither  and^  thither,  were  appar- 
ently riding  aimlessly.  Still  others  were  coming 
singly  and  in  strings  from  each  of  the  hostile 
camps. 

Suddenly,  as  flocks  of  birds  scatter,  a  wild 
chaotic  rout  of  flying  riders  spread  upon  the 
plain.  Each  frantic  yelling  horseman  scurried 
at  racing  speed  and  each  seemed  bent  upon  his 
own  business,  quite  regardless  of  the  stampede 
before  and  behind. 

Chaos  reigned,  but  out  of  it  came  order  in  a 
twinkling.  As  by  some  trick  of  legerdemain  the 

326 


A        PARADE         FIGHT 

scurrying  formless  clouds  wheeled  into  wide 
oblong  rings  of  riders.  Viewed  from  the  heights 
about,  the  rims  of  these  rings,  revolving  in  oppo- 
site directions,  might  have  seemed  to  run 
together.  At  the  nearest  point  of  contact  they 
did  not,  in  fact,  vary  much  from  fifty  yards. 
For  a  quarter  mile  or  so  the  hostile  lines,  rid- 
ing in  the  same  direction,  ran  nearly  parallel  to 
each  other.  No  better  arena  for  individual  feats 
of  riding,  of  daring  and  of  marksmanship,  could 
be  devised. 

In  this  fair  and  open  field-fighting  the  Crows 
and  their  cousins  of  the  mountain  met  the 
Oglalas,  Yanktonais  and  Brules  and,  despite  any 
prejudice  to  the  contrary,  without  purpose  or 
thought  of  treachery  to  their  young  men's  agree- 
ment. 

Theirs  was  a  parade  battle  which  indulged  to 
the  fullest  extent  the  native  love  for  display  and 
excitement.  The  faces  and  bare  legs  of  the 
wild  riders  were  streaked  with  brilliant  paints. 
Gorgeous  and  trailing  war-bonnets  were  the 
marks  of  men  of  distinction,  while  the  flying 
braids  of  others,  their  saddle  and  bridle  trap- 
pings, and  even  their  horses'  tails  were  decorated 
with  gay  streamers. 

Seven-eighths  of  each  wheeling  circuit  was 
ridden  out  in  safety  and,  to  save  the  wind  of 
their  ponies,  the  fighters  rode  at  an  easy  gallop, 
displaying  feats  of  horsemanship  and  whooping 

327 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

and  yelling  until  their  noise  filled  the  ears  of  all 
the  anxious  watchers  at  the  Sioux  village. 

As  each  rider  approached  what  maybe  termed 
the  firing  line,  unless  he  wished  to  make  a  brave 
show  by  sitting  upright,  he  threw  himself  upon 
or  alongside  his  animal's  withers  and  rode  at 
top  speed  shooting  his  arrows  over  or  under  the 
pony's  neck.  Not  many  arrows  could  be  dis- 
charged in  a  single  dash  by  even  the  most 
expert  of  shooters,  and  usually  these  flew  rather 
wide  of  the  mark.  But  now  and  then  a  ruck  of 
riders  massed,  and  the  feathered  shafts  flew  thick 
and  fast.  In  these  melees  happened  most  of 
the  casualties.  Here  and  there  a  pony  was 
bowled  over  or  a  rider  stricken  and  carried,  liv- 
ing or  dead,  across  the  circuit  on  which  he  fell. 

If  a  man's  horse  was  killed  and  himself  unin- 
jured he  loped  away,  inside  his  own  lines,  to 
secure  a  fresh  one.  As  a  pony  could  not  run 
many  times  the  circuit  of  these  wide  rings,  and 
keep  the  pace,  strings  of  horses  were  continu- 
ally going  to  and  fro  between  camp  and  battle- 
field. Many  riders  replenished  their  quivers  by 
riding  inside  the  fighting  line,  hanging  from  the 
saddle,  and  plucking  the  enemies'  shafts  from  the 
ground.  Some  did  this,  with  most  admirable 
nerve  and  dexterity,  amid  a  flight  of  whizzing 
missiles. 

Thus  passed  several  hours  of  glorious  exercise 
and  good  fighting.  A  number  had  been  killed 

328 


A        PARADE         FIGHT 

and  wounded  on  either  side,  but  at  midday 
neither  circle  of  fighters  had  shown  any  marked 
superiority,  and  suddenly  signals  ran  along  the 
lines  and  the  rings  were  broken  and  the  riders 
fell  together,  at  their  centers,  as  by  magic. 

The  crowds  thus  grouped  flung  themselves  off 
their  tired  ponies  and  stretched  their  bodies 
upon  the  grass  for  rest  and  to  smoke  and  eat 
and  tell  of  brave  exploits.  Here  food  and  water 
was  brought  by  boys  and  young  men,  eager  to 
be  of  service.  And  so  for  several  hours  the  hos- 
tile armies  reposed  over  against  each  other. 


329 


CHAPTER   XXXI 
THE  VOYAGERS  ARRIVE 

The  bull  boat  had  slipped  out  of  a  gorge 
wherein  it  had  whirled  over  rapids  until  the  voy- 
agers were  dizzy,  and  was  floating,  between  high 
and  caving  banks,  well  out  into  some  bottom 
lands. 

Etapa  lay  curled  like  a  young  fox  upon  the 
bottom  of  the  craft  and,  within  the  small  re- 
maining space,  upon  the  blanket  rolls  which  sup- 
ported the  sleeper,  Zintkala  sat  upon  her  knees. 
She  did  not  try  to  propel  the  boat  but  used  a 
light  pole  merely  to  keep  it  from  grounding. 

Wi,  the  sun,  had  sloped  half  way  down  in  the 
west  and  the  day  was  warm,  quite  too  warm, 
within  the  river's  channel,  for  exertion.  Here 
and  there  for  a  little  way  the  big  skin  tub  would 
sail  along  quite  rapidly,  whirling  around  and 
around  like  a  floating  turtle  shell.  Again  drift- 
ing as  an  autumn  leaf  drifts  it  floated,  barely 
moving  against  the  gray  earth  banks;  and  the 
young  girl's  head  would  droop,  nodding  sleepily, 
until  it  rested  upon  her  bosom. 

Then  the  pole  would  drop  from  her  nerveless 
fingers  and  she  would  awake  with  a  start  to 
stretch  a  small  brown  hand  out  upon  the  current. 

330 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

In  one  of  these  quick  catches  after  the  pole 
the  bull  boat  dipped  water,  drenching  Etapa's 
face;  and  this  so  pleased  Zintkala  that  she 
laughed  herself  awake.  The  boy  grumbled 
sleepily  and  turned  his  wet  cheek  under  an  arm. 

Zintkala  did  not  land  the  boat  to  climb  the 
steep  banks,  for  she  had  done  this  many  days 
until  she  was  weary  of  continued  disappoint- 
ments. She  knew  that  if  the  Oglalas  were 
camped  in  this  strange  country  they  would  be 
found  very  near  to  the  river  —  for  most  small 
streams  were  dry  at  this  season — and  so  there 
could  be  no  danger  of  passing  their  village  una- 
wares. For  days  they  had  seen  no  sign  of 
human  creatures  and  they  were  drifting  now 
almost  aimlessly,  their  thoughts  and  labors  con- 
fined to  present  needs. 

Indians,  or  people  of  any  sort,  were  farthest 
from  the  sister's  mind  when  her  bull  boat 
bumped  over  a  shallow  rapid  and  ran  plump 
upon  a  washout  runway,  where  a  great  number 
of  animals  had  recently  forded  the  stream.  At 
first  Zintkala  supposed  a  big  herd  of  buffaloes 
had  crossed  the  river,  but  she  stopped  the  boat 
and  her  shrewd  eyes  detected  pony  tracks — un- 
mistakably Indian  ponies;  a  great  number  of 
them  had  very  recently  passed  that  way. 

"  Mi  sun  !  " 

The  word  was  spoken  in  an  undertone,  but 
there  was  in  the  tone  a  thrill  of  startling  import 

331 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

which  the  sleeper's  ears  responded  to,  and  Etapa 
arose,  nearly  upsetting  the  bull  boat.  The  boy's 
eyes  quickly  fell  upon  the  trampled  sloping  banks 
of  the  washout,  and  he  leaped  to  land  with  a 
sharp  exclamation  of  elation. 

"Han!  han!"  he  said.  "I  think  perhaps  the 
Oglala  hunters  have  been  after  the  buffaloes — 
thus  we  shall  very  quickly  find  our  people!" 

After  a  moment's  keen  search  he  spoke  again 
more  guardedly. 

"Hoye,  Tanke!"  he  said.  "I  think  indeed  these 
may  have  been  the  Oglalas.  I  do  not  see  the 
travois  trail  nor  any  moccasin  tracks,  therefore 
these  men  were  hunters  or  a  war  party." 

"Let  us  be  very  careful,  younger  brother,  lest 
we  be  seen  suddenly  by  some  strange  people," 
urged  the  sister,  and  her  breath  came  quick  with 
excitement  and  suspense.  She  hoped  these 
many  riders  had  been  Oglalas,  but  she  feared 
they  were  enemies. 

The  boy,  despite  his  mounting  hope,  exercised 
an  Indian's  caution.  He  did  not  mount  the 
bank  upon  the  pony  trail  but  reentered  the 
bull  boat. 

"Tanke,"  he  said,  "let  us  go  on  further,  that 
we  may  climb  out  in  a  secret  place  and  see  if 
any  persons  are  in  sight." 

So  in  keen  suspense  of  expectation  the  two 
poled  their  craft  along  until  they  had  passed  a 
curve  of  the  river's  bank.  Then  they  landed 

332 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

and  scrambled  up  to  the  cover  of  a  cluster  of 
green  willows.  From  out  this  covert  they  peered 
with  caution,  but  could  see  nothing  of  human 
import  save  the  broad  dusty  trail  which  stretched 
over  a  little  rise,  that  formed  a  second  bottom 
to  the  river  lands. 

"It  appears  there  are  no  people  near  this 
place,"  said  Etapa,  after  he  had  scanned  the 
lower  reaches,  "therefore  let  us  go  forward  to 
look  at  this  trail." 

They  approached,  keeping  upon  the  untrod 
ground,  and  examined  the  trampled  surface 
carefully,  and  this  time  they  discovered  what 
they  had  missed  before — pony  tracks  leading 
back  upon  the  trail. 

"Ho!  I  do  not  think  these  men  have  gone  far 
from  their  village,"  said  Etapa.  "I  think  their 
town  is  among  those  hills  yonder.  It  appears 
that  a  war  party  has  gone  out  to  meet  the 
enemy." 

"Do  you  think  these  people  are  the  Oglalas?" 
asked  Zintkala,  doubt  and  perplexity  clouding 
her  round  face. 

Before  the  boy  had  reflected  sufficiently  for 
answer  a  clatter  of  rapidly  approaching  hoofs 
fell  upon  their  ears.  A  light  breeze  blowing 
from  the  northwest  rustled  the  willows  and  the 
tops  of  nearby  cottonwoods,  and  the  startled 
pair  could  not  tell  from  which  direction  the 
horses  were  approaching.  A  moment  of  inde- 

333 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

cision,  as  they  held  their  breath  and  listened, 
cost  them  an  opportunity  to  hide. 

Two  horsemen  suddenly  appeared  upon  the 
rise  in  their  front.  These  were  strange  Indians 
in  paint  and  war  dress,  armed  with  shields  and 
long  lances,  and  one  with  bow  and  quiver  of 
arrows  at  his  back. 

To  run  would  have  been  imprudent  as  well  as 
useless,  and  the  voyagers,  with  hearts  pounding 
at  their  ribs,  not  knowing  whether  these  were 
friends  or  enemies,  stepped  back  some  paces  from 
the  trail.  The  boy  carried  his  buffalo  gun  and, 
under  pretense  of  shifting  the  weapon  from  hand 
to  hand,  secretly  drew  its  hammer  back  in  readi- 
ness to  fire.  His  quick  eye  noted  that  one  rider, 
a  young  Indian,  had  neither  bow  nor  firearm,  and 
that  the  other,  a  large  and  fleshy  man,  had  but 
few  arrows  in  his  quiver.  He  would  shoot  this 
last  man  if  shoot  he  must. 

The  strange  riders  showed  no  surprise.  They 
reined  in  their  ponies  at  some  rods  distant  and 
sat  looking  at  the  bare-legged,  sun-scorched, 
wanderers,  who  must,  at  this  time,  have  resem- 
bled Feejees  rather  than  Sioux.  The  horsemen 
were  evidently  puzzled  as  to  the  tribal  identity 
of  the  pair.  They  rode  forward  upon  the  trail 
a  little  further  and  suddenly  wheeled  and  faced 
the  voyagers. 

"How?"  said  the  big  man,  inquiringly.  "How," 
answered  Etapa,  in  a  far-away  voice.  The  stran- 

334 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

gers  looked  at  each  other.  Something  in  the 
boy's  voice  or  manner  had  decided  them.  The 
larger  man  rode  forward,  indicating  by  signs 
that  he  wished  to  examine  the  buffalo  gun. 

Etapa  and  Zintkala  drew  back  quickly,  and  the 
boy  shook  his  head  in  decided  refusal.  The 
big  soldier  suddenly  poised  his  lance  as  though 
to  attack. 

Etapa  uttered  a  fierce  yell,  and  leveled  his 
gun.  The  man  quickly  yanked  his  horse  back- 
ward and  dodged  behind  his  shield.  The 
younger  spurred  his  horse  further  beyond  range. 

"E-e-yil  Yih!"  yelled  Etapa. 

His  shrill  defiant  war-cry  instantly  warned  the 
wild  riders  that  they  had  to  deal  with  no  ordi- 
nary Indian  lad.  This  boy  was  a  fighter,  a  tac- 
tician. He  had  not  expended  his  bullet,  but  was 
saving  it  for  a  close  sure  shot  if  they  should 
charge.  The  warriors  looked  at  each  other  with 
appreciative  grins.  This  boy's  war-shout  had 
proclaimed  him  a  Sioux.  They  would,  there- 
fore, kill  these  two  and  wear  notched  feathers 
in  their  braids.  They  circled  about  in  a  quick 
dash  to  cut  off  retreat  to  the  river's  bank. 

The  man  with  the  bow  and  arrows  then  leaped 
from  his  saddle  and  half  concealed  himself 
behind  his  pony.  He  fitted  an  arrow  and  drew 
his  bow  as  if  to  shoot.  The  frightened  Zintkala 
started  to  run,  but  Etapa  checked  her  with  a 
sharp  note  of  warning. 

335 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

"Hoye,  Tanke!  Do  not  run!"  he  cried.  "Keep 
looking  at  this  man.  Jump  quickly  on  one  side 
if  he  shoots!" 

The  sister  faced  about  palpitating  with  fear. 

"These  men  will  surely  kill  us  if  you  do  not 
give  them  the  gun!"  she  said  imploringly. 

But  the  boy  stood  his  ground,  aiming  carefully 
at  the  bowman.  Again  the  wild  riders  grinned 
appreciation  of  the  young  warrior's  shrewdness. 
They  knew  his  buffalo  gun  had  no  sights.  They 
wished  to  draw  his  fire  at  a  distance. 

But  Etapa  began  to  back  away.  He  was  fright- 
ened enough,  but  he  was  all  Indian,  and  he 
preferred  to  fight  rather  than  yield  to  capture. 
He  did  not  believe  these  two  men,  soldiers 
though  they  were,  would  rush  upon  the  muzzle 
of  his  gun.  Let  the  bowman  shoot  his  arrows! 

The  man,  as  if  in  response  to  his  thought,  sud- 
denly, and  with  a  fierce  yell,  launched  a  shaft  at 
him.  The  boy's  leap  to  one  side  was  apparently 
instantaneous.  The  shaft  struck  into  the  higher 
ground  behind  him. 

"Run  quickly,  Tanke,  and  get  the  arrow!" 
shouted  Etapa.  Zintkala  plucked  courage  from 
her  bold  defender  and  obeyed  with  swift  feet. 

The  strange  soldiers  spoke  to  each  other  and 
laughed  wickedly.  They  had  begun  to  enjoy 
the  prospect  of  fighting  these  quick-witted  ones. 
Though  they  wot  not  of  Tatars  this  pair  filled 
the  place  in  their  barbaric  minds.  The  bowman 

336 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

now  sprang  upon  his  horse  and  rode  around  the 
voyagers  in  a  sharp  circle;  he  threatened  fre- 
quently to  launch  his  arrows. 

"Do  not  let  him  hit  you,Tanke!"  shouted  Etapa. 
"If  I  shoot  him,  get  his  bow  and  arrows  quickly!" 

The  sister  understood  fully,  and  the  blood  of 
the  fighting  Sioux  was  roused  in  her.  She  ran 
about  in  a  dizzy  kind  of  maze,  leaping  like  a 
dancer.  Etapa  sprang  from  side  to  side,  and 
kept  his  gun  pointed  toward  the  wheeling 
horseman.  This  fellow  spurred  his  pony  sud- 
denly in  a  straight  line  and,  passing  within  a 
few  paces  of  Etapa,  let  fly  an  arrow  under  his 
horse's  neck.  Again  he  missed,  and  the  young 
Sioux  ran  swiftly  backward  and  secured  the 
shaft. 

The  bowman  gave  a  whoop  of  chagrin  and  sur- 
prise. Shooting  at  these  spindle-legged  dodgers 
was  like  throwing  pebbles  at  swallows.  Adroitly 
the  young  Sioux  led  their  enemies — the  young 
warrior  followed  to  watch  for  an  opening — away 
from  the  river  bank  lest  they  should  discover 
the  bull  boat  and  so  secure  Etapa's  bow  and 
arrows! 

The  two  well  nigh  forgot  their  fears  in  an 
exciting  game;  their  powers  were  engaged  only 
to  outwit  that  rapidly  circling  pony  rider.  Again 
and  again,  like  a  wheeling  hawk,  the  big  soldier 
rode  around  the  dodging  voyagers.  The  man 
often  made  feints  to  shoot.  Although  the  two 

337 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

leaped  tirelessly  to  foil  his  aim,  the  suspense 
and  uncertainty,  the  peril  of  those  swift  close 
dashes  across  his  circuit,  was  like  to  dizzy  and 
confuse  the  young  brains. 

As  they  dodged  and  ran  backward  the  children 
kept  near  to  the  base  of  the  little  elevation 
which  marked  the  river's  second  bottom.  This 
prevented  the  rider  from  shooting  at  them,  save 
as  he  aimed  downward  or  against  the  rise,  and 
as  he  missed  one  seized,  or  kicked  and  broke,  the 
well  lodged  shaft.  Each  time  the  big  man  failed 
the  younger  gave  a  whoop  of  derision.  The 
wheeling  horseman  grew  bolder,  his  sudden 
attacks  more  difficult  to  avoid,  and  the  voyagers 
were  tiring.  When  they  were  near  to  despair 
Zintkala  suddenly  found  her  feet  among  stones. 
Instantly  she  stooped  and  caught  up  several 
heavy  pebbles.  As  the  soldier  again  rushed  at 
them  she  flung  the  stones  with  all  her  might. 
His  pony  was  hit  upon  the  face  and  nearly 
pitched  its  rider  off  as  it  sheered  suddenly 
to  one  side. 

"Waste-ste!"  shouted  Etapa,  and  he,  too,  shift- 
ing his  gun,  began  to  throw  stones.  No  horse 
would  face  such  a  battery,  and  in  vain  the  rider 
tried  to  force  his  animal  within  the  circle  of  their 
effective  hail  of  pebbles. 

In  his  anger  the  fierce  bowman  halted  and 
launched  two  shafts  in  a  fury  at  the  boy. 
Etapa  was  nearly  transfixed  An  arrow  passed 

338 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

on  either  side  and  one  of  them  was  splintered 
on  his  gun  stock. 

The  shooter  reached  a  hand  to  his  quiver  to 
find  that  he  had  expended  all  his  shafts.  As 
Zintkala  seized  and  broke  his  last  whole  arrow 
across  her  knee,  the  soldier  showed  his  chagrin 
so  deeply  that  his  companion  again  whooped 
with  derision;  he  slapped  .his  bare  thigh  and 
gave  vent  to  guffaws  of  laughter. 

The  voyagers  ceased  exertion  and  looked 
about  them  for  some  line  of  flight  to  cover. 

"Tanke,"  said  Etapa,  pointing  up  the  river, 
"let  us  go  thitherward  to  yonder  high  bank.  If 
this  man  attacks  I  will  surely  shoot  him." 

"Let  us  do  so  quickly,"  replied  Zintkala,  and 
they  now  mounted  the  rise,  the  boy  turning  to 
threaten  the  horseman  with  his  gun,  if  they 
should  follow. 

"  Mi  sun ! "  Zintkala's  voice  was  raised  in  a 
shout  of  wonder  and  gladness,  "I  think,  indeed, 
the  Oglalas  are  here!" 

The  boy  wheeled  and  his  eyes  followed  his 
sister's.  Out  upon  the  prairie,  within  plain  view 
were  two  large  camps  or  armies  of  soldiers, 
at  rest.  They  were  not  within  hailing  distance, 
but  could  be  seen  distinctly.  Some  were  walking 
about,  others  sat  upon  the  ground  and  still  others 
held  or  tended  herds  of  horses.  One  series  of 
groups  was  nearly  opposite  the  other,  some  bow 
shots  removed  from  them  and  further  up  the 

339 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

river  valley.  And  again,  beyond  these,  the 
voyagers'  eyes  fell  upon  the  distant  conical  points 
of  many  tepees — a  big  village. 

"Tanke!"  exclaimed  the  boy,  with  sudden  con- 
viction, "those  far  ones  are  indeed  the  Oglalas 
who  have  been  fighting  these  others!" 

"But  these  will  take  us!"  said  the  girl,  in  a  voice 
of  yearning  and  despair. 

Etapa  could  not  answer.  His  heart  sank.  He 
knew  why  these  two,  who  had  come  to  the 
river,  were  so  fierce  to  kill  him  and  his  sister 
without  calling  upon  their  fellows  for  help. 
They  would  not  seek  assistance  so  long  as  they 
could  hope  for  success,  but  when  they  could  not, 
what  chance  was  there  for  escape! 

"Let  us  walk,  going  backward,  pretending  not 
to  know  anyone,"  said  the  boy,  in  this  desperate 
strait.  "Let  us  go  upon  the  lower  ground  to 
reach  the  high  bank." 

They  stepped  easily  down  out  of  sight  of  the 
soldiers  upon  the  prairie,  who  had  probably 
taken  no  note  of  them  as  yet.  The  voyagers 
now  walked  quickly  backward,  with  their  faces 
turned  toward  the  two  horsemen,  their  hands 
filled  with  stones  to  throw  if  these  should  chase 
them. 

The  soldiers  immediately  unslung  the  bull's 
hide  shields  attached  to  their  saddles;  then  they 
talked  together  earnestly  for  a  moment.  Soon 
the  younger  turned  and  rode  along  the  river's 

340 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

bank,  and  the  larger  man  started  directly  toward 
the  nearer  soldiers'  camp. 

"Tanke!  Run!"  cried  Etapa,  and  the  two 
turned  and  sped  along  the  base  of  the  rise,  run- 
ning as  they  had  never  run  before.  Their  days 
of  rest  in  the  bull  boat,  and  their  fears,  lent 
wings  to  their  supple  and  much  tried  legs. 

In  a  dash  of  three  hundred  yards  or  more  the 
horseman  who  pursued  along  the  river  did  not 
gain  more  than  a  third  the  distance  though  he 
urged  his  pony  at  top  speed.  He  passed  the 
fleet  runners,  apparently  intending  to  get  between 
them  and  the  high  bank,  at  which  they  were 
aiming.  Suddenly  he  wheeled,  lowered  his 
lance,  covered  his  body  with  his  shield  and 
charged  directly  at  them.  In  the  same  instant 
they  heard  a  clatter  of  hoofs  over  the  rise 
beyond.  The  soldiers  were  charging  from 
opposite  directions  to  confuse  and  destroy 
them. 

Neither  dared  turn  either  way  to  throw 
stones,  lest  a  hurled  lance  should  transfix  the 
thrower!  The  runners  halted  instantly;  with 
the  instinct  of  hunted  animals,  they  leaped 
aside  at  the  point  of  contact.  The  horsemen 
came  together  in  a  flurry  of  dust  to  find  the 
dodgers  again  escaped,  and  some  cracking 
strokes  upon  the  ribs,  as  the  voyagers  hurled 
their  stones  and  ran,  set  their  ponies  prancing. 

The   soldiers   gathered  themselves   and  their 

341 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

weapons  for  a  fresh  attack,  and  now  the  young 
Sioux  sped  up  onto  the  prairie.  They  knew 
they  must  be  nearly  as  close  to  the  upper  war 
party  as  to  the  enemy,  and  they  ran  toward  those 
whom  they  believed  were  friends. 

Zintkala  raised  her  voice  in  a  shrill  appealing 
cry,  "Ate!  Ate!  Ate!" 

The  enraged  horsemen  wheeled  again  and 
charged  them  recklessly.  These  wily  and  incred- 
ibly fleet  young  Sioux  would  bring  disgrace  upon 
them  should  their  rabbit  legs  now  permit  them 
to  escape. 

For  another  time  breathless  dodging  saved 
the  voyagers,  and  still  the  gun  prevented  any 
other  tactics  than  the  cross-charging.  There 
was  a  moment  of  delay  in  recovery,  and  again 
the  riders  swiftly  circled  to  position.  The  voy- 
agers were  feeling  the  tremendous  strain  of 
their  efforts.  Frantic  terror  had  seized  upon 
them.  It  was  impossible  for  Etapa  to  use  his 
gun — if  he  should  turn  upon  one  rider  the  other 
would  run  him  through.  It  was  impossible  also 
for  the  fleeter,  less-encumbered  Zintkala  to  leave 
his  side.  They  had  to  hold  together. 

Again  the  wicked  lancemen  charged  with 
shields  in  front  and  spears  poised  to  hurl;  and 
somehow  out  of  the  melee  the  agile  ones  again 
escaped;  but  a  catastrophe  happened — the  boy's 
cocked  gun  was  accidently  discharged.  He  gave 
a  shrill  cry  of  despair,  and  fled  with  both  riders 

342 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

after  him  as  quickly  as  they  could  gather  them- 
selves. Each  was  bent  upon  securing  the  buffalo 
gun  for  himself.  They  rushed  together  and 
hindered  each  other. 

The  boy  dodged  their  lance  thrusts  again 
and  again  and  the  girl,  running  just  ahead,  con- 
tinued to  cry, 

"Ate!  Ate!  Ate!" 

Suddenly  a  vast  chorus  of  whoops  shook  the 
air  and  the  lancers,  with  a  tired  quarry  and  in  the 
moment  of  success,  were  startled  into  drawing 
rein.  They  saw  before  them  the  two  big  war 
parties,  mounted  in  groups,  watching  their  game, 
and  they  saw  also  a  single  horseman  from  the 
Sioux  columns  coming  with  the  speed  of  a 
prongbuck.  He  was  half  way  to  them,  in  fact,  a 
chief  in  plumes  and  war-bonnet,  lying  low  upon 
a  buckskin  horse,  which  ran  as  the  coyote  runs; 
and  they  saw  the  children  they  had  chased 
stretch  their  arms  toward  this  horseman  and 
heard  their  shrill  cries,  which  rang  above  the 
clamor — 

"Ate!  Ate!  Ate!" 

As  the  Sioux  warrior  whistled  down  the  wind 
also  they  heard  his  strong  voice  crying  its  chal- 
lenge. 

"I  am  Fire  Cloud  of  the  Oglalas — fight  me! 
fight  me!" 

And  they  understood  that  they  must  fight  this 
famous  war-chief  to  the  death,  or  be  stricken 

343 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

as  they  ran  like  fleeing  dogs.  They  knew  that 
in  all  those  watching  throngs  no  hand  would  be 
raised  to  help  or  hinder.  Their  fighting  blood 
prevailed  and  they  wheeled  apart  to  meet  the 
attack. 

"Come  on,  dog  of  a  Sioux!"  they  shouted, 
affixing  their  shields  to  protect  their  bodies  from 
his  arrows. 

The  flying  rider  passed  his  glad  children  with- 
out so  much  as  a  glance  at  them.  He  reined 
his  horse  at  fifty  paces  from  the  enemy  and 
loomed  large  in  the  saddle,  painted,  gaily 
bedecked,  cool  of  manner  and  keen  of  eye,  but 
carried  only  a  war-club  slung  at  his  wrist.  He 
had  not  even  a  bull's  hide  shield  to  protect  his 
half-naked  body! 

"Ho,  Kangi!  My  cousins,  who  it  seems  are 
enemies,  since  you  wished  to  kill  my  children, 
who  have  arrived;  I,  their  father,  am  here."  He 
spoke  calmly  but  with  deep  fire  of  excitement 
in  his  eyes. 

The  Crows  looked  at  each  other  and  laughed. 
They  understood  that  this  man  had  heard  the 
cry  of  his  lost  children,  had  discovered  them 
pursued,  and  had  leaped  his  horse  without  wait- 
ing to  arm  himself;  that  all  the  others  had  seen 
him  come  forth  and  supposed  the  man  wished 
merely  to  adventure  his  body  in  battle.  Very 
well,  they  would  count  coup  upon  his  body  and 
kill  his  dodgers  also  if  these  should  stay  to  wit- 

344 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

ness  his  death.  They  began  to  circle  rapidly 
around  him,  no  longer  afraid. 

The  chief  sat  his  horse,  making  no  move 
at  first,  but  as  the  Crows  drew  nearer,  suddenly 
began  to  whirl  his  war-club.  The  stone  head  of 
the  weapon  swung  about  his  body  so  that  he 
seemed  encircled  by  an  unbroken  ring. 

The  wheeling  riders  charged  him,  one  from 
either  side,  thrusting  at  him  with  lances.  Both 
their  weapons  were  flung  aside  by  his  whirling 
club,  and  the  chief  executed  a  swift  demi-volt 
and  again  impassively  faced  them.  From  the 
crowds  of  onlookers  shouts  of  approval  greeted 
his  successful  maneuver. 

Out  on  the  prairie  a  little  way  Zintkala  stood, 
with  clinched  hands,  panting  from  exertion,  her 
eyes  fixed  with  mingled  longing,  love  and  terror, 
upon  the  figure  of  that  bold  Sioux  chief.  And, 
squatted  cross-legged  upon  the  ground,  Etapa, 
without  a  ramrod,  worked  frantically  trying  to 
fit  a  bullet  to  his  buffalo  gun. 

The  two  Crows  again  circled,  wheeling  like 
birds  of  prey  about  the  Oglala,  and  again 
charged  him  from  opposite  sides.  The  encoun- 
ter was  sharp  and  fierce;  the  Sioux's  war-club 
seemed  to  play  on  all  hands  at  once.  Out  of  this 
encounter  the  big  Crow  emerged  with  a  broken 
lance,  but  the  smaller,  with  a  yell  of  triumph, 
carried  away,  strung  upon  his  spear,  the  Sioux 
chiefs  gorgeous  war-bonnet. 

345 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

Yet  the  Oglala  soldier  faced  his  enemies  a 
second  time  unscathed,  and  the  prairie  was 
shaken  by  the  vast  shrill  chorus  which  greeted 
his  exploit. 

As  the  Crows  again  wheeled  into  position  for 
attack  the  larger,  who  had  exchanged  his 
broken  spear  for  the  tomahawk,  yelled  a  sharp 
note  of  warning  to  his  fellow. 

The  smaller  turned  his  pony  in  a  sharp  circle 
to  see  the  boy  he  had  so  lately  chased  rush  at 
him  with  a  leveled  gun.  There  was  no  moment 
to  spare — to  retreat  was  not  to  be  thought  of, 
and  with  a  wild  yell  he  lowered  his  shield  and 
charged. 

When  the  horse  was  almost  upon  him,  aiming 
at  the  center  of  that  shield,  Etapa  fired.  As 
when  he  had  shot  at  the  bear,  his  gun  exploded 
with  a  mighty  roar,  and  knocked  him  backward 
off  his  feet.  The  Crow's  lance,  hurled  down- 
ward, struck  deep  into  the  ground  where  he  had 
stood.  But  this  Indian  did  not  stop  to  fight  fur- 
ther. His  shield  fell  to  the  ground,  an  arm 
dangled  at  his  side,  and  he  galloped  away  to  his 
fellows,  only  bearing  the  war-bonnet,  which  had 
fallen  across  his  saddle  pommel. 

This  time  the  kicking  buffalo  gun  had  saved 
Etapa,  and  very  likely  the  chief  and  the 
girl.  The  boy  leaped  to  his  feet,  seized  the 
fallen  shield  and  wrenched  the  lance  from  its 
hold. 

346 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

"I  have  taken  war  weapons  of  the  enemy!"  he 
shouted  in  a  shrill  exultant  treble,  which  reached 
to  all  the  crowds  of  horsemen;  and  these  greeted 
his  success  with  cloud-touching  yells. 

For  the  first  time  the  Dakota  father  turned  to 
one  of  his  children. 

"How — how — my  son!"  he  said,  and  instantly 
rode  to  attack  the  big  Crow,  who  now  waited  his 
turn. 

Fire  Cloud  rushed  his  pony  at  this  man  with- 
out regard  to  tactics,  and  they  came  together  in 
a  duel,  such  as  delighted  the  souls  of  a  thousand 
wild  riders. 

The  two  wheeled  rapidly  about  each  other, 
striking,  dodging,  turning  demi-volts.  The  Crow 
warrior  had  an  advantage  in  his  tough  bull's  hide 
shield,  and  again  and  again  turned  aside  swift 
and  dextrous  strokes  which  would  have  maimed 
himself  or  horse. 

As  he  wheeled  about,  this  soldier  saw  that  the 
chief's  son  was  not  reloading  his  gun,  and  so 
took  heart  and  fought  manfully;  while  the  voy- 
agers shouted  to  their  father  that  now  indeed  he 
should  overcome  the  enemy.  Their  faith  was 
justified.  Suddenly  as  Fire  Cloud  charged,  hurl- 
ing his  horse  against  that  of  the  big  soldier,  the 
Crow's  tomahawk  flew  from  his  hand,  and  his 
shield  was  crushed  by  a  swinging  stroke,  which 
flung  him  out  of  the  saddle  and  measured  his 
length  upon  the  ground. 

347 


The  Sioux  chief  leaped  from  his  horse  and 
set  his  foot  upon  the  helpless  enemy. 

"Ho,  Kangi!"  he  cried.  "Now,  indeed,  I  might 
easily  count  a  coup  upon  your  body  and  give 
your  flesh  to  the  dogs,  but  I  will  not  do  so!  My 
children  have  arrived.  My  heart  is  glad,  and  I 
wish  to  kill  no  one." 

The  bruised  and  astonished  Crow  struggled  to 
his  feet  and  stared  unbelievingly  at  the  victor. 

"Hoh!"  he  exclaimed,  "hoh— hoh!" 

The  Sioux  stepped  back.  "Yonder  is  your 
horse,  Kangi;"  he  said,  "now  go." 
t  The  man's  pony  had  stopped  to  graze  quite  as 
though  fighting  were  a  daily  incident.  The 
Crow  walked  slowly  to  the  animal  and  mounted. 
He  rode  away,  shaking  his  head  and  muttering. 

"Hoh— hoh— hoh!"  he  said.  He  could  not 
understand. 

Fire  Cloud's  children  now  stood  together. 
They  would  not  approach  their  father  until  he 
bade  them.  But  their  faces  shone  with  such 
joy  as  those  may  feel  who  look  upon  angels. 

The  victor  looked  after  the  retreating  Crow, 
and  intently  toward  the  hosts  of  astonished 
horsemen  for  a  moment — for  the  air  was  rent 
with  shouts  of  surprise,  of  anger,  of  approval. 
Then  apparently  satisfied  that  no  one  would 
advance  to  molest,  he  mounted  his  animal  and 
turned  to  his  children. 

"My  son  —  my   daughter!"    he   said,   and   he 

348 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

stooped  and  swung  the  boy  with  his  war  weap- 
ons up  in  front,  and  lifted  the  girl  to  a  seat 
behind  his  saddle. 

"My  children,"  he  spoke  again,  "you  have 
come  a  long  way?" 

And  into  his  glad  ears  the  voyagers  began  to 
clamor,  "Ate,  the  Hohe  took  us!"  cried  Zintkala. 

"We  escaped  from  the  Ojibwas!"  shouted 
Etapa. 

"We  ran  a  very  long  way  in  the  woods 

"The  Ojibwas  chased  us 

"We  were  in  a  swamp! 

"The  eagles  brought  fish! 

"We  escaped 

"Brother  was  very  sick " 

"Han — han — han!"  said  the  chief. 

"We  stole  many  ponies  from  the  Hohe!" 

"Han— han!" 

"I  indeed  struck  a  Scili!  I  also  struck  mato- 
sapa!"  the  boy  raised  his  voice  to  a  shout. 

"How — how,  my  son — my  daughter — my  chil- 
dren!" 

To  their  bewildering  cross-fire  of  adventures 
the  glad  father  could  only  answer  by  exclama- 
tions. 

He  rode  slowly  with  his  double  burden,  past 
the  squads  of  wondering  Sioux,  but  none  came 
forward  to  question,  though  many  must  have 
shrewdly  guessed  the  truth  about  these  slim 
young  strangers,  little  as  they  seemed  to 

349 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

resemble  the  small  boy  and  girl  their  chief 
had  lost. 

When  nearly  half  way  to  the  Sioux  town,  Fire 
Cloud  set  his  children's  feet  upon  the  earth. 

"Long  enough  there  has  been  mourning  in 
your  mother's  tepee,"  he  said.  "Run  ye  hither 
quickly."  And  he  turned  and  rode  back  to  his 
soldiers. 

At  the  Sioux  village  many  women,  old  men 
and  young  people  were  gathered  about  the  wil- 
low railings  which  surrounded  their  town. 
Others  sat  in  groups  out  upon  the  prairie  at  a 
little  distance.  Many  of  these  were  women  who 
had  sat  cross-legged  and  immovable  for  hours, 
and  despite  the  heat,  with  blankets  close  drawn 
about  their  heads.  Among  these  were  anxious 
mothers,  wives  and  sweethearts,  and  a  number 
had  already  lifted  their  voices  in  wailing.  They 
had  been  glad  when  the  fighting  ceased.  As 
the  afternoon  wore  on  and  no  more  runners 
arrived  it  was  said  among  these  groups  that  now 
it  was  evident,  of  a  truth,  that  the  Crows  and 
Mountain  Indians  were  afraid  of  their  soldiers. 

"Ho,  ho,"  they  said,  "our  warriors  have  indeed 
defeated  those  wicked  Kangi!" 

Presently,  however,  they  heard  a  great  shout- 
ing which  seemed  to  indicate  that  some  excit- 
ing move  was  on  foot  among  the  armies.  But 
away  off  there  on  the  prairie  all  the  groups  of 

350 


THE    VOYAGERS     ARRIVE 

horsemen  appeared  as  blurred  patches  with  no 
movement  of  an  intelligible  nature.  The  shout- 
ing arose  several  times  like  the  swell  of  shrill  far- 
away music,  then  all  appeared  to  be  quiet  again. 

At  length  a  young  man,  standing  upon  a  high 
cedar  post  and  acting  as  crier  for  the  home 
groups,  shouted  in  a  loud  voice  that  a  runner 
was  coming — a  large  man  upon  a  white  horse. 
There  had  been  no  message  since  a  large  num- 
ber of  young  men  had  returned,  to  the  soldiers, 
bearing  loads  of  dried  meat. 

There  was  a  hush  of  expectancy — the  people 
patiently  waited.  Presently  the  young  man  cried 
again  that  three  persons  had  ridden  the  white 
horse,  that  one  was  going  back  with  the  pony 
and  the  other  two  coming  on  foot.  These  two 
were  running  very  rapidly.  In  a  little  time  all 
who  craned  their  necks  above  their  fellows'  heads 
could  see  two  slim  figures  leaping  toward  them. 

"These  are  strange  soldiers!"  shouted  the  lad 
upon  the  post.  "One  has  a  gun  and  the  other  a 
lance  and  shield." 

The  runners  came  nearer.  They  appeared  to 
be  running  with  marvelous  speed,  and  eagerly, 
with  tangles  of  matted  hair  flying,  their  thin  bare 
legs  skimming  the  ground  with  rabbit-like  ease. 

"Hoh!"  shouted  the  crier  presently,  "these  two 
are  very  young.  One  is  indeed  a  girl!" 

There  were  exclamations  of  incredulity.  As 
the  strangers  drew  nearer  they  seemed  to 

351 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

belong  to  black  people.  They  were  certainly 
very  dark — they  were  also  illy  clothed.  Suddenly 
the  voices  of  these  two  loping  ones  were  raised 
in  shrill,  joyous  notes. 

"Ina!  Ina!  we  are  coming — Zintkala — Etapa — 
your  son — your  daughter!" 

There  was  a  moment  of  dead  silence  then  a 
chorus  of  exclamations,  which  expressed  the 
single  emotion  of  amazement. 

Then  there  fell  upon  the  ears  of  all  a  wild 
yearning  cry  —  a  mother's  cry  —  and  a  woman 
rose  from  one  of  the  outer  groups.  Her  blanket 
dropped  from  her  shoulders  and  she  staggered 
for  a  moment,  clasping  a  hand  to  her  forehead. 
Then  she  ran,  though  unsteadily,  toward  the 
fleet  newcomers,  and  two  wee  girls,  with  arms 
and  hair  flying,  sped  at  her  heels. 

The  voyagers  dropped  their  weapons  and 
came  on  more  swiftly. 

"Ina!  Ina!  Ina!" 

They  leaped,  panting  like  blown  hares,  into  the 
mother's  arms.  The  woman  strained  them  to 
her  bosom.  She  lifted  her  face  and  cried,  "My 
children! — my  children!"  She  could  say  nothing 
more. 

Two  little  sloe-eyed  girls  flung  themselves 
upon  the  voyagers'  bare  legs  and  clamored  pite- 
ously  for  attention,  shouting  that  now  indeed 
they  knew  that  tanke  and  sunkaku  had  come 
back  to  them. 

352 


CHAPTER   XXXII 
THE  WARRIOR  FATHER'S   APPEAL 

The  Oglalas  among  the  Sioux  had  reached  a 
conclusion.  They  had  seen  Fire  Cloud  go  home- 
ward with  the  rescued  children,  having  spared 
a  man  who  had  tried  to  kill  them — his  own  chil- 
dren doubtless — and  they  knew  that  their  chief 
soldier's  heart  had  become  very  soft.  They 
feared  even  that  some  evil  spirit,  suddenly  in 
the  moment  of  victory,  had  made  him  witko. 

Yet  they  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  fight 
so  soon  as  the  Crows  and  Mountain  Indians 
should  make  a  move  in  their  direction. 

While  the  head  soldiers  were  consulting 
together,  Fire  Cloud  wheeled  his  horse  and 
came  swiftly  back  to  them.  A  group  gathered 
about  him. 

"My  children  have  arrived,"  he  said  simply. 
He  removed  the  war-club  from  his  wrist  and 
tendered  it  to  one  nearest.  The  man  took  it  and 
others  looked  on  wondering. 

"I  wish  to  talk  to  these  Kangi  and  Mountain 
Crows,"  he  said.  "How,  how,  speak  to  them," 
said  some  of  the  older  warriors,  well  pleased. 

Immediately  Fire  Cloud  rode  toward  the 
enemy,  who  were  moving  about  in  a  restless 
fashion.  The  chief  approached  half  way,  and 

353 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

made  a  sign  of  amity.  Getting  no  answer,  he 
shouted  his  name,  and  soon  the  Crows  and  their 
allies  understood  that  this  was  the  war -chief 
who  had  spared  a  Crow  soldier. 

A  head  partisan  of  the  Crows  rode  out  pres- 
ently to  meet  the  Oglala.  This  one  halted 
within  a  few  paces  of  the  chief. 

"Ho,  you  that  spared  the  life  of  War  Dog, 
what  do  you  seek  of  us?"  he  inquired. 

"If  your  chief  men  will  come  forward  and 
talk  I  will  tell  them  why  we  are  come  into  this 
country,"  answered  Fire  Cloud.  "We  did  not 
come  here  to  fight,  unless  an  enemy  should 
seek  us." 

"How,  I  will  tell  them  what  you  have  said," 
and  the  partisan  turned  and  rode  back  to  his 
fellows.  After  a  while  the  Crows  and  others 
signaled  their  willingness  to  come  forward,  and 
Fire  Cloud  passed  the  word  to  his  Sioux.  He 
also  arranged,  by  signs,  for  the  numbers  of  each 
which  should  approach. 

After  a  decorous  length  of  time  some  two 
score  of  the  chiefs  and  partisans  of  each  war- 
party  were  seated — while  young  men  held  their 
ponies  in  the  rear — in  opposite  groups  upon  the 
prairie.  They  did  not  smoke  the  peace  pipe. 
None  offered  it.  They  wore  the  dress  and 
paints  of  fighting  men,  and  held  their  weapons 
in  hand. 

"We  will  listen  to  the  One-Who-Spares-His- 

354 


THE     WARRIOR      FATHER'S     APPEAL 

Enemy,"  was  the  dictum  of  a  Crow  chief,  and  in 
a  tone  which  implied  that  none  other  need  talk. 

Fire  Cloud  arose  and  walked  into  the  space 
confronting  the  allies.  He  was  shorn  of  his  war- 
dress, and  carried  no  weapon.  He  wore  leggins 
and  moccasins  and  a  tall  white  feather  stood 
aslant  from  his  scalp  lock. 

He  spoke  to  the  Crows  and  the  Mountain 
People  present  in  Dakota,  which  was  their 
mother  tongue,  both  being  apostate  tribes.  Yet, 
had  they  understood  no  word  of  his  tongue, 
these  children  of  the  wilderness  could  have 
followed  every  thought  in  his  vivid  sign  language. 

"Ho,  Kangi,  and  you  Mountain  Soldiers,  whose 
name  should  be  Dakota,  I  did  not  think  when 
you  came  to  attack  us  that  I  should  indeed  wish 
to  speak  with  you. 

"Listen,  last  year  I  sent  my  children  to  be 
taught  of  the  white  people  at  Traverse  des 
Sioux.  These  people  treated  them  with  rigor, 
trying  very  quickly  to  give  them  white  skins. 
This  was  folly,  and  I  have  now  seen  how  foolish 
I  myself  have  been.  My  children  ran  away 
from  their  school  and  the  Hone  took  them. 
These  sold  them  into  a  far  country. 

"When  a  runner  came  this  spring  and  told  me 
this,  my  spirit  was  broken.  I  did  not  wish  to  live. 
But  this  runner  who  came  said  also  that  some  of 
my  people  in  Minnesota  were  foolishly  going  to 
war  against  the  white  people.  I  said,  'Though  I 

355 


wish  to  die,  yet  my  people  and  their  children 
wish  to  stay  upon  the  earth,'  therefore,  I  urged 
them  that  we  should  come  far  into  this  broken 
country;  that  we  might  not  be  implicated  in 
war,  and  that  we  might  as  long  as  possible  stand 
against  our  enemies. 

"When  I  was  yet  young  the  Dakotas  lived  in 
a  land  of  great  abundance.  From  the  falls  of 
the  big  river  to  the  Missouri  we  had  all  that 
land.  When  the  white  people  came  among  us 
we  always  treated  them  with  kindness.  We 
gave  them  food  and  many  presents.  Their  set- 
tlements seemed  a  long  way  off,  and  we  thought 
they  must  be  destitute,  having  come  so  far. 
What  happened?  Before  my  younger  chil- 
dren were  born,  these  people  had  spread  across 
the  great  river  and  taken  our  best  country 
from  us.  They  gave  us  nothing  for  the  land. 
They  forgot  our  kindness,  and  rudely  thrust  us 
out. 

"Ho,  you  Kangi  and  your  cousins,  you  have  all 
seen  the  locusts  which  fly  upon  us  and  spread 
themselves  upon  all  the  land  in  the  grass  moons; 
how  these  build  their  round  tepees  in  the 
ground,  covering  all  the  earth  and  destroying 
the  grass,  so  that  the  buffaloes  are  indeed 
driven  away,  and  your  hunters  cannot  find  them, 
and  there  is  hunger  and  want  in  your  lodges.  So 
do  these  white  people  spread;  but  each  one 
builds  his  tepee  of  wood  or  stone,  and  abides 

356 


THE     WARRIOR     FATHER'S     APPEAL 

upon  his  piece  of  ground  and  there  is  no  room 
for  anyone  on  the  earth. 

"These  are  indeed  moving  upon  all  the  earth 
toward  us.  I  myself  have  seen  them.  They 
will  destroy  the  trees  and  grass  and  kill  all 
things  that  live  with  us.  We  cannot  resist 
them.  Who  is  so  witko  as  to  believe  it? 

"How  silly  it  appears  that  we  should  be  fight- 
ing each  other,  and  thus  give  to  these  enemies 
of  all  Indians  better  excuse  to  seize  our  prop- 
erty! Very  soon  we  shall  have  nothing  to  fight 
about.  We  shall  be  searching  for  the  graves  of 
our  dead,  and  shall  not  find  them.  We  shall 
inquire  whither  we  may  pitch  our  tepees  and  no 
one  can  tell  us.  We  shall  ask  of  those  who 
have  despoiled  us  where  we  may  find  meat  for 
our  children. 

"Ho,  Kangi  and  you  Mountain  Soldiers,  do 
you  indeed  wish  it  thus?  Do  you  wish  to  crawl 
upon  your  bellies  that  others  may  feed  your 
women  and  children? 

"To-day  my  children  arrived,  having  escaped 
from  captivity.  Because  of  this  battle  between 
us  they  were  near  to  death.  But  the  Waniyan 
Tanka  has  indeed  saved  them,  and  my  heart  is 
glad.  I  no  longer  desire  to  die.  I  wish  to  live. 
I  wish  my  people  to  be  at  peace,  so  that  we  may 
save  'some  of  our  land  whereon  we  may  raise 
our  children  and  bury  our  dead. 

"Listen,  Kangi  and  Mountain  Soldiers.    When 

357 


TWO    WILDERNESS    VOYAGERS 

the  buffaloes  came  was  there  any  lack  of  meat 
and  skins  for  you  and  for  us?  Are  your  children 
hungry?  If  so,  we  will  give  them  meat.  If  any- 
one among  you  is  in  want  let  him  come  to  my 
tepee  and  I  will  feed  and  clothe  him.  Thus  say 
all  these  my  colleagues  and  partisans.  I  have 
finished." 

The  Crows  and  their  friends  were  much  aston- 
ished at  what  this  Sioux  chief  had  said.  They 
considered  the  matter  gravely  and  apart  for  a 
time.  At  length  an  old  chief  spoke. 

"How,  Dakotas,"  he  said,  "let  us  indeed  pre- 
pare the  peace  pipe.  We  did  not  understand 
why  you  had  come  into  this  country,  or  we 
would  not  have  acted  thus  rudely.  You  are  very 
welcome  to  stay  all  winter  at  this  place." 

"How — how,  good  —  good!"  cried  the  Sioux. 
Immediately  these  war-chiefs  began  to  approach 
each  other  and  to  shake  hands.  Pipes  passed 
among  them,  and  they  talked  for  a  long  time, 
telling  each  other  such  news  of  distant  wars  as 
they  had  heard. 

After  they  had  sat,  until  nearly  sunset,  thus 
talking,  two  young  men  of  the  Crows 
approached,  bearing  a  covered  vessel  between 
them.  They  set  this  burden  at  the  feet  of  Fire 
Cloud,  and  removed  their  blankets,  discovering 
a  rude  bull  boat. 

The  chief  arose  to  look  at  this  craft,  an  oblong 

358 


THE     WARRIOR     FATHER'S      APPEAL 

tub,  with  frame-work  of  bent  willows,  covered 
with  a  half  tanned  buffalo  pelt.  Inside  he  saw 
two  small  blanket  rolls,  a  parfleche  filled  with 
small  articles  and  pieces  of  dried  meat,  a  carca- 
jou's skin,  a  long  knife  in  a  leather  sheath,  a 
metal  basin  much  blackened  by  use,  a  boy's 
horn-tipped  bow,  and  a  quiver  containing  three 
strange  arrows. 

"Han!  han!"  said  Fire  Cloud,  "it  was  thus 
that  my  children  arrived!" 

It  is  said  that  these  tribes  have  not  fought 
each  other  since,  except  when  treacherous  ones 
have  been  hired  to  go  in  search  of  some  village 
of  women  and  children,  which  the  Great 
Father's  soldiers  wished  to  attack. 


359 


RALPH  CONNOR'S 

CRISP    WESTERN    TALES 


i4Oth  1,000 

The  Man  from  Glengarry.    A  Tale  of 

the  Ottawa.  I  zmo,  Cloth,  $1.50. 

"Bean  the  unmistakable  mark  of  power." — Chicago  Inttr 
OCMM, 

"There  is  pathos,  subtle  wit,  humor,  quaint  character  draw- 
ing. .  .  .  Life,  warmth,  color,  are  all  here." — Brttklyn  Eaglt. 

150th  1,000 

The  Sky  Pilot.     A  Tale  of  the  Foothills. 
I  2mo,  Cloth,  $1.25. 

"Ralph  Connor's  'Black  Rock'  was  good,  but  'The  Sky 
Pilot'  is  better.  His  style,  fresh,  crisp  and  terse,  accords  with  the 
Western  life,_which  he  well  understands." — Tht  Outlook. 

350th  I ,OOO 

Black  Rock.    ATaleoftheSelkirks.    I2mo, 
Cloth,  $1.25. 

Pofular  Edition  JO  ants.  Special  Edition  ?J  tints. 

'"Ralph  Connor'  is  some  man's  nom  di  flume.  The  world 
will  insist  on  knowing  whose.  With  perfect  wholesomeness, 
with  exquisite  delicacy,  with  entire  fidelity,  with  truest  pathos, 
with  freshest  humor,  he  has  delineated  character,  has  analyzed 
motives  and  emotions,  and  has  portrayed  life.  Some  of  his  char- 
acters deserve  immortality." — St.  Louit  Globe  Democrat. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK.  CHICAGO  TORONTO 


TAT/res*    OF    THE    ^"ORTH    BY 

EGERTON  !R.  YOUNG 

My  Dogs  in  the  North- 
land. 

"He    has    a    happy    and 
often     amusingly     quaint 

Profusely  illustrated. 
Ilmo,  doth,  £1.15  net. 
Experiences  with  Eskimo 
and     St.    Bernard     dogs, 
covering    yean  of  sledge 
travel  in  the  frozen  wilds 
of  British    America.    An 
exciting   story    in   which 

way  of  describing  the  in- 
cidents  and  surroundings 
of  frontier  life.  His  cheer- 
ful, almost  merry,  temper, 
while   recounting  the   de- 
vices resorted  to  in  endur- 
ing or  mastering  privations 
and  dangersarestimnlating 
and    instructive.*1  —  T)st 

the  marvels  ofdog  instinct, 

tfalctmtn. 

intelligence   and  strength 

play  the  chief  part.     Mr. 

Young  proves    in  a  most 
entertaining   and  instruc- 
tive way  that  each  dog, 

The  Apostk  of  the 
North,  James  Evans. 

just  a*  much  as  a   person, 

With  twenty  illustrations 

has    his     own    individual 

by  J.  E.  Langhlin.   Ilmo, 

character,    and    must    be 

doth,  $i.  ij. 

dealt     with     accordingly. 

"A    fresh    theme    is   pre- 

Terrible perils,  wonderful 

sented  here  —  the  life  of  a 

escapes  and  sudden  emer- 

missionary in  Upper  Can- 

gencies mix  with  the  most 

ada,  and    the    northward 

comical  situations. 

regions  as  far  as  Athabasca 

On  the  Indian  Trail. 

Lake    and   even    beyond. 
Young  people,  usually  not 

Stories    of  Missionary 

attracted     t  o    missionary 

Experiences    among     the 

literature,   will   be   inter- 

Cree   and    the  Saulteanx 

ested  in  the  book.    It  is 

Indians.     Stories  of  Mis- 

well   illustrated."  —  1"r.i 

sion,     limo,  doth,  fl.oo. 

OMUL 

FLEMING-  H.  RETVTELXi  COAIF-A^Y 

>TETW  YORK:             CHICAGO             TORONTO 

FICTION  BORN  oFFACT 

THE  INFORMING  SORT 


25th  1,000 

Deborah.  A  Tale  of  the  Times  of  Judas 
Maccabasus.  By  JAMES  M.  LUDLOW. 
Illustrated,  I  2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

"In  the  prevailing  desert  of  hot-house  sentiment  and  over- 
drawn realism,  a  story  like  Deborah  is  a  veritable  oasis.  It  must 
certainly  prove  a  work  of  continued  favor  among  those  readers 
who  delight  in  vivid  pictures  of  great  historical  episodes  and  re- 
joice in  a  book  pure  in  tone  and  uplifting." — Evening  Star 

Bj  tbt  author  of  "The  Sfanith  Brothers" 

Under  Calvin's  Spell.  A  Historical  Ro- 
mance of  Old  Geneva.  By  D.  ALCOCK. 

Illustrated.      $1.50, 

"A  historical  novel  of  the  time  of  Calvin  and  the  Huguenots, 
the  scene  centering  in  Geneva  but  shifting  at  times  into  Savoy 
and  France.  The  plot  is  vigorous  with  action,  suspense,  sur- 
prises and  critical  situations." 

The  Setting  and  Times  o/"^u«  fadis." 

Onesimus,    Christ's    Freeman.       By 

CHARLES  E.  CORWIN.      Illustrated,  I  2mo, 
Cloth,  $1.25. 

"A  work  of  decided  merit,  not  only  in  the  plot  and  its  work- 
ing out,  but  also  in  the  skill  with  which  the  author  has  availed 
himself  of  the  meagre  Biblical  material." — The  Outlook. 
Bishtf  Brcch  and  the  Boston  Slums. 

The  Bishop's  Shadow.    By  MRS.  I.  T. 

THURSTON.       With    illustrations    by    M. 
ECKERSON.      I2mo,  Cloth,  $1.25. 

"A  captivating  story  of  dear  Phillips  Brooks  and  a  little 
street  gamin  of  Boston.  The  book  sets  forth  the  almost  match- 
less character  of  the  Christlike  bishop  in  most  loving  and  lovely 
lines." — The  Interior. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 


THE  [LATEST  FICTION 
THE  INSPIRING^   SORT 


Janet  Ward.     A  Daughter  of  the  Manse. 
By  MARGARET  E.  SANGSTER.      $1.50 

A  college  girls  story  written  in  the  interest  of  the  girl  of 
to-day.  It  is  to  show  young  women  their  opportunities  and  to 
indicate  how  any  true-hearted  girl  may  walk  scathless  through 
all  dangers  that  beset  her  path. 

Fool's  Gold.      By  ANNIE    RAYMOND  STILL- 
MAN.      $1.50. 

A  striking  novel.  A  romance  of  exceptional  power  in 
which  plot  and  action  yield  a  large  tribute  to  the  strong  purpose 
of  the  book. 

Love  Never  Faileth.    An  Emotion 

Touched    By   MoraJities.      By    CARNEGIE 
SIMPSON.      $1.25 

"Strong  in  its  moral  tone,  uplifting  in  its  purity,  and  remark- 
ably entertaining  as  a  romance  of  the  affections." — Jamis  M. 
Ludlna. 

"Afbright,  straightforward  love  story,  full  of  youth  and  sweet- 
ness."— Margaret  £.  Sangster. 

Aunt   Abby's    Neighbors.     By    ANNIE 

TRUMBULL  SLOSSON  .  Freely  decorated .  $  i .  oo 

To  the  thousands  of  readers  who  know  "Fishin"  Jimmy" 
and  all  other  remarkable  creations  of  Mrs.  Slosson's  genius,  it  is 
enough  to  announce  a  new  story  from  her  deft  and  subtle  pen. 

The  Little  Green  God.     A  Satire  on 

American  Hinduism. 

By  CAROLINE  ATWATER  MASON.      75c. 

By  the  author  of  "The  Lily  of  France."  Pungent,  witty, 
humorous,  pathetic  and  terribly  in  earnest  and  serious  in  mean- 
ing. This  little  book  will  make  a  sensation. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000684135     7 


